Analysis of the Gospels 



OF 



THE SUNDAYS OF THE YEAR. 



From the Ipdlian of 

AN.GELO CAGNOLA. 




by- 



Rev. L. A. -j LAMBERT, LL.D., 

AUTHOR OF " NOTES ON INGyERSOLL, " "TACTICS OF INFIDELS," ETC. 




New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: ^ S*^^^ 
BENZIGER BROTHERS, 

Printers to the Holy Apostolic See. 
1892. 




D. J. McMahon, D.D., 

Censor Librorum. 



•(Imprimatur, 

Michael Augustine, 

Archbishop of New York. 



New York, September 15, 1892. 



Copyright, 1892, by Benziger Brothers. 



CONTENTS. 



First Sunday of Advent, ..... 


PAGE 

7 


Second Sunday of Advent, . . 


1 1 


Third Sunday of Advent, ..... 


I o 


r ourin ounuay 01 auvciil, ..... 


2 I 


i^nriSLiiids udy } ....... 


24 


ouIlQcty WlLIllIl Lilt; wdciVtJ Ul v^lll lbLIIldbj 


3° 


i\ew x ear s uay. — ine reast 01 me v^ircumcision, 


• 34 


Feast of the Epiphany, ..... 


• 37 


First Sunday after Epiphany, .... 


. 42 


Second Sunday atter Epiphany, ... 


- 45 


Third Sunday after Epiphany, .... 


• 49 


Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, .... 


• 54 


Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, .... 


• 57 


Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, .... 


61 


Septuagesima Sunday, ..... 


64 


Sexagesima Sunday, 


• 69 


Quinquagesima Sunday, 


• 74 


First Sunday of Lent, 


• 78 


vSecond Sunday of Lent, ..... 


• 83 


Third Sunday of Lent, 


. 88 



3 



4 



CONTENTS. 



Fourth Sunday of Lent, ... 


PAGE 

• 93 


Fifth Sunday of Lent, or Passion Sunday, . 


97 


Palm Sunday, 


104 


Easter Sunday, 


. 108 


First Sunday after Easter, 


JI 5 


Second Sunday after Easter, .... 


119 


Third Sunday after Easter, .... 


. 124 


Fourth Sunday after Easter, .... 


. 128 


Fifth Sunday after Easter, . 


• I S3 


Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension, 


• *37 


Pentecost Sunday, 


. 140 


First Sunday after Pentecost, or Trinity Sunday, 


• 145 


Second Sunday after Pentecost, .... 


• 1 5° 


Third Sunday after Pentecost, .... 


• x 53 


Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, .... 


• I 59 


Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, .... 


. 164 


Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, . . 


. 167 


Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, 


. 172 


Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, .... 


. 176 


Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, .... 


. 179 


Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, .... 


. 182 


Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, 


. 185 


Twelfth vSunday after Pentecost, 


. 189 


Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, . 


. 104 


Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, . 


. 197 


Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 


. 20I 


Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 


• 205 



CUiN 1 H,JN 1 t>. 


5 




PAGE 


Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, 


2 OQ 


Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, . 


214 


Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, . - . 


. 2l8 


Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, 


. 22 1 


Twenty-first Sundav after Pentecost, . 


. 227 
1 


Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, 




Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, 


-33 


Twenty-fourth and Last Sunday after Pentecost, 


■ 239 



ANALYSIS OF THE GOSPELS OF THE 
SUNDAYS OF THE YEAR. 



FIRST SUN DA Y OF ADVENT. 
Gospel : St. Luke xxi. 25-33. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: " And there 
shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in 
the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason 
of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the 
waves : men withering away for fear and expectation of 
what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers 
of heaven shall be moved and they shall see the Son of 
man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. 
But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and 
lift up your heads : because your redemption is at hand. 
And He spoke to them a similitude : See the fig-tree and 
all the trees : when they now shoot forth their fruit you 
know that summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall 
see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of 
God is at hand. Amen I say to you, this generation shall 
not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and 
earth shall pass away : but My words shall not pass away. " 

Question. What was the purpose of Our Lord in 
this discourse ? 

Answer. His purpose was to make known some of 
the events which are to precede the end of the world 
and to incite Christians to prepare for that general 

7 



s 



FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



judgment which He will come to pass on the living 
and the dead, that is, on the just and the unjust. 

Q. What are these signs which will be seen in the 
sun, moon, and stars? 

A. Our Lord, in St. Matthew's Gospel, tells us that 
the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall no longer 
give her light, the stars shall fall from heaven, and 
the powers of heaven shall be moved. 

Q. It will be thus in the natural order, but how 
can this be understood in the spiritual order? 

A. In the darkening of the sun we can recognize 
the loss which the Church suffers by the persecu- 
tions of Anti-christ. In the obscuring of the moon 
we see the ruin produced in men by the decay of 
charity. Our Lord tells us that if these days be not 
shortened on account of the elect, none would be 
saved. The stars falling from heaven represent 
teachers and preachers of the law and the faith who 
have fallen away, like the stars dragged down by the 
dragon described in the Apocalypse. Lastly, in the 
dissolution of the forces of nature is represented the 
decay of the Christian virtues, and in the consterna- 
tion of peoples is seen the disorder caused by the 
decay of good morals and the triumph of impiety. 

Q. Why will the Son of God appear upon a cloud ? 

A. To manifest His glory and power; tlie clouds 
being in Scripture language a symbol of the divinity, 
the chariot, the throne of the omnipotence and maj- 
esty of God. 

Q. In what other ways will the power and majesty 
of Jesus Christ be manifested? 

A. His power will be shown forth in the resurrec- 
tion of the dead, who will in a moment return to life 



FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



9 



at His command, on His appearance as Judge. He 
will be an object of joy to the just, of terror to the 
sinner, and of wonder to all; and lastly, His power 
and glory will appear in passing sentence, rewarding 
the good and punishing the impious — a sentence 
which none can escape. 

Q. And how will His majesty be manifested? 

A. It will shine forth in the resplendent light which 
will emanate from His body and be, perhaps, greater 
than on Thabor, when He appeared accompanied by 
angels and saints. His majesty will also appear in 
the splendor of His throne, in the luminous cross, in 
the sound of the trumpet, in the lightnings and 
thunders, in the earthquakes, and in all the portents 
which precede and foretell His coming. 

Q. How are we to understand the words : " Look 
up and lift up your heads, because your redemption 
is at hand "? 

A. By these words Our Lord invites His just to 
have courage and to hope, because these prodigies 
will make known to them that the time is at hand 
when they will be liberated from the miseries of life 
and the bonds of death to arise glorious and immortal, 
and enter soul and body into the happiness of heaven. 

Q. Why should they know from these prodigies that 
the time of their liberation is at hand? 

A. Because Our Lord promised that as the unfold- 
ing plants indicate the immediate coming of summer, 
so the prodigies foretold by Him indicate the imme- 
diate approach of the end of the world and the resur- 
rection of the flesh ; and the just, after so great tribu- 
lations, will receive the reward of their patience, their 
constancy, and their fidelity in the service of God. 



TO 



FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



Q. Of what does Our Lord speak when He says: 
" This generation shall not pass away till all things 
be fulfilled"? 

A. According to the Gospel of St. Matthew, Our 
Lord, in the discourse of which the Gospel of to-day 
is but a part, spoke of two things, namely, the de- 
struction of Jerusalem and the end of the world. 
Referring to the destruction of Jerusalem, Our Lord 
by " this generation " meant the Jews who lived in 
His own time. Referring to the end of the world, 
"this generation" means the whole human race. As 
His prediction regarding Jerusalem has been fulfilled 
by the overthrow of that city, so will His prediction 
regarding the end of the world be fulfilled. He has 
pledged His word and His word does not fail. The 
heavens and the earth shall pass away, but the word 
of Christ # will not change. 

Q. Why does the Church at the beginning of Ad- 
vent direct our attention to this Gospel? 

A. As in the Gospel of to-day we are reminded of 
that general judgment which Christ will pronounce 
on the last day, the Church directs our attention to 
the Gospel for three motives referable to that judg- 
ment. 

Q. What is the first of these motives? 

A. The first motive of the Church is to remind us 
how this same Jesus Christ, Whom in a short time we 
will admire in His humility lying in a manger for 
love of us, and to teach us the way to heaven, will 
one day descend on earth in awful majesty to demand 
account of the use we have made of His graces and 
gifts, and to judge us according to our actions. 

Q. And what is the second motive? 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



I I 



A. The second motive of the Church is to incite us 
by a wholesome fear to prepare ourselves to receive 
Jesus Christ with love at His first coming, and for- 
sake sin and obey His holy law, so that at His second 
coming we may appear with confidence, well prepared, 
at His tribunal. 

Q. And. what is the last motive? 

A. It is to impress deeply on our minds the thought • 
of the last judgment, for to avoid sin and excite our- 
selves to penance it is enough to know that one day 
all our actions will be judged. It is to make this 
thought of the last judgment useful and efficacious 
that the Church, with maternal solicitude, recalls it to 
our minds at the beginning and end of the ecclesiasti- 
cal year, and frequently during the course of the year. 

Q. What should we then do in this holy season of 
Advent? 

A. We should meditate on the coming of Christ, 
the Jiidge, in order to prepare ourselves to commem- 
orate the day when He came as the Saviour. We 
should often pray to the Child Jesus to be reborn and 
grow in our hearts with His holy grace. We should 
prepare in our hearts the way for Him by works of 
penance and piety, and above all by the use of the 
holy sacraments. 

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 
Gospel : St. Matthew xi. 2-10. 

AT that time, " When John had heard in prison the 
works of Christ, sending two of his disciples, he said 
to Him: Art thou He that art to come, or do we look 
for another? And Jesus making answer said to them : Go 



I 2 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The 
blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf 
hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel 
preached to them: and blessed is he that shall not be 
scandalized in Me. And when they went their way, 
Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: 
What went you out into the desert to see? a reed shaken 
with the wind? But what went you out to see? a man 
clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in 
soft garments are in the houses of kings. But what went 
you out to see? a prophet? Yea I tell you, and more 
than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written : 
Behold I send My Angel before Thy face, who shall pre- 
pare Thy way before Thee. " 

Q. Where was St. John when he sent this embassy 
to Our Lord? 

A. He was in prison, by order of the impious 
Herod, who was enraged by the reproofs the Baptist 
had given him on account of the incestuous life he 
was leading with Herodias, the wife of his brother 
Philip, Tetrarch of Trachonitis. 

Q. Why did St. John send this embassy to Christ? 

A. He sent it in order to give his disciples an op- 
portunity of knowing Jesus Christ, and to convince 
them that He was truly the Messias foretold by the 
prophets and expected of nations. 

Q. Had St. John any doubt of this? 

A. It was his disciples who doubted; he himself 
was certain of the fact, because when baptizing Our 
Lord in the Jordan he had seen the Holy Ghost com- 
ing down upon Him in the form of a dove, and had 
heard the testimony of the Eternal Father, Who said 
from on high : " This is My beloved Son in Whom I 
am well pleased;" and He Himself had added: "Be- 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



13 



hold the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of 
the world." 

Q. Had the Jews reason to ask Jesus if He was the 
Messias? 

A. They had reason both in regard to the times 
and to Christ Himself. 

Q. Why in regard to the times? 

A. According to the predictions of the prophets 
the expected Messias was to appear when the nations 
of the East had fallen under the power of one great 
empire, when the seventy weeks of years spoken of 
by Daniel, the prophet, were completed, and when the 
sceptre of absolute dominion had passed from the 
kingdom of Juda, as foretold by Jacob. Now, in the 
time of Christ all these predictions were fulfilled. 
The nations of the East had fallen under the power 
of the Roman empire, the seventy weeks of years were 
ended, and the sceptre had passed from the land of 
Juda, and the Israelites groaned under the yoke of the 
stranger. The Jews, therefore, had good reason in 
the time of Christ to expect the coming of the Messias. 

Q. Had they reason to recognize Christ as the 
Messias? 

A. In Him and in Him alone they should have 
recognized the Messias. In Him the most minute 
circumstances regarding the Messias were verified. 
And if the Hebrews, instead of expecting and desir- 
ing, through a misunderstanding, a warrior, a con- 
queror, an earthly and powerful prince, had given 
attention to what was foretold of His birth, growth, 
habits, actions, of His humiliations, sufferings, and 
death, they would have been compelled to recognize 
Him as the Messias. 



J4 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



Q. How did Jesus Christ prove that He was the 
promised Messias? 

A. As actions prove the character of a man, Jesus 
Christ proved that He was the expected Messias by 
referring to His own actions as those described by 
the prophet Isaias in particular. 

Q. Why do you say this? 

A. Isaias had foretold that the expected Saviour 
would cure the lame, the blind, the leprous, the deaf 
and the mute, raise the dead and preach to the poor 
the way of salvation. Jesus Christ did all these 
things, and proved that He was the promised Messias 
by appealing to His own acts, which were precisely 
those described by the prophet. When the disciples 
of St. John asked Him : " Art thou He that is to come 
or look we for another?" He replied: "Go and relate 
to John what you have heard, and what you have 
seen with your own eyes." 

Q. What did the disciples of St. John hear and 
see? 

From the multitude that followed Jesus Christ 
they heard of the wonders worked by Him, and from 
Himself they heard the heavenly doctrine preached 
and eternal life announced ; and as St. Luke tells us, 
they saw with their own eyes the miracles worked in 
their presence by the same Divine Redeemer Who, to 
convince them, was pleased to cure the blind, the 
lame, the deaf, the mute, and lastly raised the dead 
in their presence. 

Q. What are we to say to all this? 

A. That Christ did not fail to submit the most con- 
vincing proofs that He was the messenger of the 
Eternal Father, and that those who refused to recog- 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



*5 



nize in Him the Saviour promised from the beginning 
of the world were blind, impious, and without excuse. 

Q. Why did Christ say: "Blessed are those who 
shall not be scandalized in Me " ? 

A. His poverty, His lowliness, His sufferings, and 
death led carnal men to believe that He was anything 
but God. Therefore it was that He declared blessed 
those who would not permit themselves to be deceived 
by appearances, as did the doubting disciples of St. 
John, and who, notwithstanding His humiliation, 
should recognize Him as the true Messias and true 
God, annihilated for the salvation of the world. 
Blessed are we then who, taught not by flesh and 
blood, but by the grace of the Eternal Father, have 
recognized and adored the Crucified, the only Son of 
the living God. 

Q. Why did Christ, Our Lord, praise St. John? 

A. In order that those who heard Him, struck by 
the example of that great and wonderful man whom 
He called the angel sent by the Lord to prepare His 
way, might be still more confirmed in their faith. 

Q. Why did He wait till St. John's disciples had 
gone before praising him ? 

A. That they might not relate to St. John the 
praises spoken by the Divine Master, lest they might 
think Him guilty of flattery ; and to teach us that in 
praising the virtues of others we should be careful 
not to give occasion of pride to those we praise. 

Q. What did Christ praise in St. John? 

A. His strength of soul, that did not permit him to 
be puffed up by the applause of the multitude, nor to 
be discouraged by sufferings and persecution. He 
praised the austerity of his life, his detachment from 



i6 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



the things of the world, and the greatness of the 
destiny of him who prepared the way for the Messias 
and announced the actual presence of the Saviour, 
Whom the ancient prophets had announced from afar. 

Q. What should we learn from this day's Gospel? 

A. We should learn from St. John to profit by every 
means compatible with our state or condition ; to be 
always zealous followers and disciples of Jesus Christ ; 
to cause His holy name to be praised, by laboring 
constantly in His service ; not to be pliant as reeds to 
every wind of temptation ; to flee from the luxuries 
of life and the pomps of the world, and lastly to show 
forth in our own lives the life of Jesus Christ, follow- 
ing His example and practising the virtues which He 
made the models of excellence. 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 
Gospel: St. John i. 19-28. 

AT that time: "The Jews sent from Jerusalem priests 
and levites to John, to ask him: Who art thou? And 
he confessed, and did not deny ; and he confessed : I am 
not the Christ. And they asked him: What then? Art 
thou Elias? And he said: I am not. Art thou the 
prophet? And he answered: No. They said therefore 
unto him : Who art thou, that we may give an answer to 
them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? He 
said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 
Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet 
Isaias. And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. 
And they asked him, and said to him : Why then dost thou 
baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? 
John answered them, saying: I baptize with water, but 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



I? 



there hath stood One in the midst of you Whom you know 
not. The same is he that shall come after me, Who is 
preferred before me: the latchet of Whose shoe I am 
not worthy to loose. These things were done in Bethania 
beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing." 

Q. What was the object of the Pharisees in sending 
the priests and levites to St. John ? 

A. The Pharisees were learned in the law and the 
prophets, and they knew that the time of the prom- 
ised Messias was near at hand. Knowing the angelic 
and wonderful life of St. John they very naturally 
concluded that he might be the promised Messias of 
God Whom they were expecting. They therefore 
sent priests and levites to St. John that they might 
have from himself reliable information on this im- 
portant subject. 

Q. Why did these messengers ask St. John if he 
were not Elias, after they had heard that he was not 
the Christ? 

A. Elias did not die; he was taken up from the 
earth in a chariot of fire, and God said by the mouth 
of Malachy that He would send the prophet back to 
the world before the great and terrible day of the 
Lord. But the Jews did not understand rightly these 
words, and erroneously applied them to the coming of 
Christ as Redeemer when they should have applied 
them to His coming as the Judge of men. As they 
were expecting the Messias at that time, they, in 
view of the words of Malachy, looked for the return 
to the world of the prophet Elias. With this in their 
minds they very naturally asked St. John if he were 
Elias who was to prepare the way for the Saviour of 
Israel. t 



2 



1 8 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



Q. And why did St. John say that he was not Elias 
when Christ declared he was? 

A. "St. John," says Gregory the Great, "was filled 
with the spirit and virtue of Elias, but was not Elias 
in person. St. John, then, was right in denying that 
he was Elias in person, and Christ was right in calling 
him Elias in reference to the spirit and virtue for 
which he was conspicuous, and also because of his 
office of precursor. St. John was the Elias or pre- 
cursor of Christ's first coming, as Elias is to be the 
precursor of Christ's last coming on earth." 

Q. Why did St. John deny that he was even a 
prophet? 

A. A prophet is one who foresees and foretells future 
events. In this sense St. John was not a prophet, 
because he did not foretell the coming of the Saviour, 
but announced His actual presence, and pointed Him 
out, when he said : " Behold the Lamb of God, Who 
taketh away the sins of the world." On this account 
he was greater than all the prophets, as Christ Him- 
self declared in the Gospel of St. Matthew. 

Q. Why did St. John, when urged to tell who he 
was, reply that he was the voice of one crying in the 
wilderness: " Make straight the way of the Lord "? 

A. By his reply the Baptist informed them of the 
nature of his mission, and directed their attention to 
the prophecy of Isaias which foretold his coming, by 
quoting the words of the prophet : " Speak to the 
heart of Jerusalem, saith the Lord, and call aloud 
to her; be ye comforted, My people, for your evil is 
come to an end, then shall be heard a voice of one 
crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the 
Lord, make straight His paths." He also gave them 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



19 



a striking proof of his great humility, for though he 
was promised by an angel, born by a prodigy of the 
Most High, and sanctified before his birth by the 
presence of the Redeemer, yet he merely says of 
himself : " I am the voice of one crying in the wil- 
derness." 

Q. Why did these messengers ask St. John why he 
baptized if he was not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the 
prophet? 

A. These messengers were both learned and ma- 
lignant. They knew from the Scriptures that the 
Messias was to baptize for the remission of sins, and 
that of no other man, saint or prophet, had such a 
prediction been made. They therefore wished impu- 
dently to reprove him as pretending to an authority 
and ministry which he was not authorized to assume. 

Q. What reply did St. John make to this insult? 

A. He answered with a gentleness in perfect keep- 
ing with the character of a minister of the Lord. He 
gave an account of his works, added what sufficed to 
enlighten them, and returned good for evil. He said 
that he baptized with water, that he came to show 
them the way to penance, to prepare them to receive 
the Saviour, that there was then in the midst of them 
One Who was to baptize in the Holy Ghost for the 
remission of sins, and that they did not know Him 
because they thought Him a poor, humble, common 
man. 

Q. Is there nothing else to be observed in the re- 
ply of St. John ? 

A. We must note the testimony given by him in 
favor of Jesus Christ. St. John said of Him in effect: 
" He is the Person Who will come after me, Who will 



20 



THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



wash away your sins and sanctify you. He is greater 
than I, and before me, and I am not worthy to loosen 
the latchets of His shoes." In this way he pointed 
out the Saviour, and left them without any pretext in 
not recognizing Jesus Christ as the Messias. 

Q. Where did this event take place? 

A. On the eastern bank of the Jordan opposite to 
Galgal, in a place called Bethany or Bethabara, the 
place where the Hebrews pitched their tents by com- 
mand of Josue, before they passed over to enter the 
Promised Land. St. John, who preached penance and 
passing from a state of sin to a state of grace, chose 
this place from whence the chosen people passed from 
their wanderings in the desert to the abundance of 
the Land of Promise. 

Q. What are we to learn from St. John ? 

A. We should learn to practise humility as he did, 
by confessing sincerely our nothingness, by not 
sounding our own praises even when there may be 
occasion to do so without danger of ostentation, and 
by suffering with patience injurious words even when 
performing faithfully our duties. 

Q. Is there any other lesson for us in the example 
of St. John? 

A. Yes, we should consider what our own answer 
will be when, like St. John, we are asked : " Who art 
thou? " Grant, O Lord, that we may be able to an- 
swer when the time comes: "We are Christians/' 
Lastly, let us apply to ourselves these words : " Make 
straight the way of the Lord." Let us make every 
effort to prepare for the spiritual new-birth of Jesus 
Christ in our souls. 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



2 1 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 
Gospel: St. Luke iii. 1-6. 

AT that time : " In the fifteenth year of the reign of 
Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of 
Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip, 
his brother, being tetrarch of Iturea and the country of 
Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina, under the 
high-priests Annas andCaiphas: the word of the Lord was 
made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And 
he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching 
the baptism of penance for the remission of sins, as it is 
written in the book of the words of Isaias the prophet: A 
voice of one crying in the wilderness : Prepare ye the way 
of the Lord : make straight His paths. Every valley shall 
be filled: and every mountain and hill shall be brought 
low : and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 
ways plain. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." 

Q. Why did the Evangelist give so minute a de- 
scription of the rulers and high-priests living at the 
time when St. John preached? 

A. He did so for three reasons: First, to clearly 
establish the time and year in which the promised 
precursor of the Messias was to appear and with him 
Jesus Christ Himself. 

Q. What was the second reason? 

A. To show that the Redeemer had manifested 
Himself to the world at the precise time prophesied by 
the patriarch Jacob sixteen hundred and thirty years 
before. The time foretold was when the sceptre 
should pass from Israel into the hands of strangers, as 
were Tiberius Caesar, Lysanias, and the two brothers 



22 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



Herod Antipas and Philip, sons of the Idumian Herod 
who commanded the slaughter of the Innocents. 

Q. What was the third reason? 

A. The third reason why St. Luke wrote so mi- 
nutely of the rulers and high-priests was to show the 
part taken by them in the history of Christ. Tiberius 
ruled the Roman Empire at the time of Christ's 
preaching and death. It was he who, struck by 
Christ's miracles and sanctity, sought to have His 
name enrolled among the gods of the empire. Pilate, 
his procurator in Judea, pronounced the sentence of 
death after he had so solemnly declared Christ's inno- 
cence. Herod, who could not find Him guilty, consid- 
ered Him a madman, and Philip put John the Baptist 
to death. Lastly, Annas and Caiphas, the high- 
priests, were the leaders of the enemies of Christ, 
Whom they persecuted even to the cross. 

Q. What is the meaning of the words: "The 
Lord spoke to John in the desert "? 

A. God had prepared John for the great office of 
precursor of His Christ. Promised by the message of 
an angel, born of a mother sterile and advanced in 
years, sanctified before his birth, glorified by prodigies 
at his birth, enriched with heavenly virtues, John 
lived amid the horrors of the desert a model of pen- 
ance, an angel rather than a man. In the fulness of 
time God invested him with his mission and urged 
him to raise his voice, preach penance, and announce 
the presence of the Saviour. 

Q. In what desert did St. John preach? 

A. In that desert which lies between the east bank 
of the Jordan and the desert of Arabia, the same 
through which the Hebrews passed when, after the 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 



23 



captivity of Babylon, they returned to their country 
to set about rebuilding the temple. 

Q. Why is it said: "It is written in the book of 
the words of Isaias "? 

A. Because when Isaias praised that glorious pas- 
sage of the Hebrews his words had a twofold meaning ; 
while he praised the liberation of the people from the 
captivity of Babylon he also predicted the liberation 
of the human race from the chains of sin and from 
the slavery of Satan — a liberation that was one day to 
be proclaimed in this same desert. 

Q. What were the words of Isaias? 

A. They were these: "The voice of one crying in 
the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make 
straight in the wilderness the paths of our God. 
Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain 
and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall 
become straight and the rough ways plain, and all 
flesh shall see the salvation of God." — Isaias xl. 3. 

Q. To whom did Isaias refer? 

A. By the words: "The voice of one crying in 
the desert," he referred to John the Baptist, who 
made his voice heard in the desert solitude between 
the Jordan and Chaldea. He cried : " Prepare ye 
the way of the Lord," that is, correct your ways, do 
penance. 

Q. And how are the other words to be explained? 

A. Isaias, in foretelling that the valleys would be 
filled up, the mountains made low, and the crooked 
ways straight, announced that the grace of God would 
remove all obstacles that make our salvation difficult : 
that by means of grace the weak and lowly would be 
filled with heavenly strength ; that the proud would be 



24 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 



humbled ; that the erring would return to the straight 
path ; that our affections would be regulated and our 
passions overcome. The history and annals of the 
Church show that this prophecy has been fulfilled. 

Q. Why is it said that " all men shall see the salva- 
tion of God " ? 

A. Because by the apostles and their successors the 
gospel would be spread throughout the world, as in 
fact it is. 

Q. What are we to learn from all this? 

A. First, we should be strengthened in our holy 
faith by considering that everything regarding it had 
been prepared, foretold, and completed by the wisdom, 
power, and goodness of God. We should also learn 
from the words of St. John that the only means of 
participating in the graces of the nativity of Our Lord 
is to do sincere penance for sins committed, reform 
our ways, and return to God with all the affections of 
our heart. 

CHRISTMAS DAY. 
Gospel: St. Luke ii. 1-14. 

" A ND it came to pass that in those days there went 
ii out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole 
world should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by 
Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. And all went to be en- 
rolled, every one into his own city. And Joseph also 
went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into 
Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, 
because he was of the house and family of David, to be en- 
rolled with Mary, his espoused wife, who was with child. 
And it came to pass that when they were there, her days 
were accomplished that she should be delivered. And 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 



2 5 



she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapped Him up 
in swaddling-clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because 
there was no room for them in the inn. And there were 
in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping 
the night-watches over their flock. And behold, an angel 
of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God 
shone round about them, and they feared with a great 
fear. And the angel said to them : Fear not ; for behold 
I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all 
the people. For this day is born to you a Saviour, Who 
is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall 
be a sign unto you : You shall find the Infant wrapped in 
swaddling-clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly 
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly 
army, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the 
highest, and on earth peace to men of good will." 

Q. What emperor ordered the census and descrip- 
tion of the subjects of the empire to be taken ? 

A. Caesar Octavianus Augustus, a grand-nephew of 
Julius Caesar. Having overcome his rival, Antony, 
at the battle of Actium, Augustus became the sole 
master of the Roman Empire, and ruled long in peace, 
glory, and unexampled prosperity. 

Q. Why did Augustus order a census to be taken? 

A. Finding himself at peace on all sides and his 
treasury exhausted by the preceding wars, he wished 
not only to satisfy his curiosity and ambition by 
knowing the number of his subjects, but also to re- 
plenish his treasury by the tribute which each one 
had to pay on that occasion. Whatever may have 
been the purpose of Augustus, his command was a 
wise disposition of God, that the Jews as well as the 
Gentiles might easily and with certainty know that 
the Messias, according to the predictions of the 



2 6 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 



prophets, had been born in Bethlehem of the house 
and family of David, the son of Jesse the Bethlemite. 

Q. How did this enrolment enable the Jews and 
Gentiles to know of the birth of the Messias? 

A. It must be remembered that about this time a 
rumor prevailed in Syria and Judea that a king was 
about to be born who was to become the ruler of the 
world. This rumor from Asia came to Rome and so 
alarmed the senate that it decreed that nourishment 
should be denied to all male children born during the 
consulate of Antony and Cicero. This decree, how- 
ever, had no effect, on account of the opposition to so 
barbarous a law. Besides this rumor, the oracles of 
the sibyls had led even the Gentiles to expect a great 
king, the son of an immortal king, holy and victo- 
rious. The Gentiles being influenced by these rumors 
and predictions, and the empire being at peace, atten- 
tion was more easily directed to the slaughter of the 
children ordered by Herod for the purpose of destroy- 
ing the new-born King of the Jews. Thus it hap- 
pened that the name of Jesus, on the day of His 
circumcision, was inscribed on the records of the cen- 
sus which, as Tertullian informs us, were sent to 
Rome and preserved in the public archives there. 
This would necessarily make known to the world the 
birth of Jesus Christ and the appearance of the ex- 
pected Messias. It was then proper, says the 
venerable Bede, that the King of peace who came to 
reconcile man with God should be born at a time 
when peace reigned throughout the world. 

Q. You say: "According to the predictions of the 
prophets." Did any prophet foretell this universal 
peace at the birth of the Redeemer? 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 



A. The peace which prevailed at the birth of the 
promised Messias had been predicted by the prophet 
Isaias in these words : " And they shall turn their 
swords into plough-shares and their lances into pruning 
hooks; people will not rise against people, the un- 
armed arm, nor will they wage war." The profound 
peace that prevailed in the days of Augustus is known 
to all. It was called "the Octavian peace." 

Q. Why did Joseph, who dwelt in Nazareth, have 
to go to Bethlehem to be enrolled? 

A. The Hebrew nation was divided into tribes and 
the tribes were divided into families. The decree of 
the emperor required the census to be taken accord- 
ing to tribes and families. Hence each one had to 
inscribe his name at the city or place of his origin, 
where his ancestors or the head of the family had 
lived. Joseph was of the tribe of Juda and of the 
house of David. David, the son of Jesse, was born 
in Bethlehem, and Joseph, as a descendant of the royal 
house of David, had to go to that town to have his 
name inscribed. This was also an admirable dispo- 
sition of Divine Providence, that the whole world 
might know that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, 
that he descended from the house or family of David 
and from the tribe of Juda, as foretold by the proph- 
ets, and that, therefore, he should be acknowledged 
as the true and expected Messias. 

Q. Had Joseph to make a long journey? 

A. He had to make a journey of over seventy miles. 
Leaving the tribe of Zabulon he passed through the 
tribes of Issachar, Manasses, between the Red Sea and 
the Jordan, Ephrem and Benjamin, till he came to 
the tribe of Juda, in which is Bethlehem, six miles 



28 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 



from Jerusalem. We learn from St. Joseph submis- 
sion and obedience to the laws of those who govern 
us, and whose authority comes from God. 

Q. If Mary was about to give birth to her divine 
Son, why did she accompany St. Joseph on so long a 
journey? 

A. The prophet, Micheas, had foretold that the 
Messias would be born in Bethlehem of Juda, and the 
word of God pronounced by the lips of that inspired 
man must be fully verified. The word " Bethlehem" 
signifies "the House of Bread," and it was proper 
that from that house should come He Who is the 
heavenly bread, He Who nourishes our souls with 
His doctrines, His grace, and His flesh. 

Q. Why did the holy Mother place the Child in a 
manger? 

A. Perhaps on account of the poverty of Joseph, 
or perhaps because of the great number of people in 
the small town of Bethlehem, the holy Virgin could 
not find lodgings, and was compelled to take refuge 
in a stable, and having no better place, laid the In- 
fant in the manger from which the cattle fed. 

Q. Does the Evangelist say that there were an ox 
and an ass at this manger? 

A. On this as on some other things he is silent. 
This belief is, however, so common that the Church 
applies in this sense the words of the prophet Haba- 
cuc: " You will be known in the midst of animals," 
and explains in this sense the words of Isaias : " The 
ox will know his owner, and the ass will know the 
manger of his Lord." St. Gregory of Nyssa says the 
ox was a figure of the Hebrew people, accustomed to 
carry the yoke of the law, and that the ass was a fig- 



CHRISTMAS DAY. 



2 9 



tire of the Gentiles carrying the burden of their 
superstitions and sins. As the ox and the ass rested 
in the stall without yoke or burden and partook of 
food, so in like manner the Hebrews as well as the 
Gentiles were called to rest in the presence of Christ ; 
the former to throw off the yoke of the Old Law, the 
latter to free themselves from the burden of error 
and sin, and both to partake, in Him, of the food of 
eternal life. 

Q. Why were the shepherds called first to the 
manger? 

A. The shepherds followed the custom of the an- 
cient patriarchs and watched while others slept ; they 
were poor and earned their bread by their labor ; they 
lived like the primitive Christians who watched over 
themselves while others slept idly in the pleasures of 
the world. Those who are poor in spirit and suffer 
with patience the inconveniences of poverty will be 
preferred by Our Lord, and be called by Him to the 
happiness of heaven. 

Q. What lesson should we learn from Jesus in the 
manger? 

A. A thousand things, but principally contempt 
for riches and the pomps and honors of the world. 
Jesus, the Master of the universe, born poor and in a 
stable ; Jesus, the most innocent of beings, to suffer 
at His very birth; Jesus, the adored of angels, humil- 
iating Himself in a manger as the least of the living. 
With such an example before us, who would prefer 
the riches, the pleasures, and the pomps of this transi- 
tory world to the eternal joys promised by the Son 
of God? 



30 SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS. 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS. 

Gospel : St. Luke ii. 33-40. 

"AND His father and mother were wondering at those 
ii things which were spoken concerning Him. And 
Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother: Be- 
hold this Child is set for the fall and for the resurrection 
of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contra- 
dicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of 
many hearts thoughts may be revealed. And there was 
one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the 
tribe of Aser: she was far advanced in years, and had 
lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. 
And she was a widow until four score and four years: 
who departed not from the temple, by fasting and prayers 
serving night and day. Now she at the same hour coming 
in, confessed to the Lord: and spoke of Him to all that 
looked for the redemption of Israel. And after they had 
performed all things according to the law of the Lord, 
they returned into Galilee, to their city of Nazareth. 
And the Child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom: 
and the grace of God was in Him." 

Q. What are we told in particular in to-day's Gospel ? 

A. We are told of the predictions of Simeon and 
Anna, made when the Child Jesus was presented in 
the temple in compliance with the law which re- 
quired this presentation of every first-born. 

Q. Why does this Gospel, when speaking of Joseph, 
call him father, and why did Joseph and Mary wonder 
at the things they heard? 

A. It is a truth of faith that Jesus Christ as man 
had no father. He was born of Mary ever a virgin, 
as well during as after His birth ; but as Joseph was 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS. 31 

reputed by all who were ignorant of the great mys- 
tery to be the natural father of Jesus Christ, and as, 
says St. Augustine, he had over Him the authority of 
a father, the Gospel in this place calls him father. St. 
Joseph and Mary wondered at the things they heard 
from Simeon and Anna, for it was indeed surprising 
to hear those persons instructed by the Holy Ghost 
about those things which regarded the Divinity, de- 
scribing the character and future life of Jesus Christ. 

Q. Whom did Simeon bless, and what was his 
blessing? 

A. Simeon recognized in Jesus Christ the Son of 
the Eternal Father, and therefore adored and glorified 
Him and awaited His blessing and the application of 
His merits and grace. He then did not bless Christ; 
he blessed Joseph and Mary, to whom he foretold the 
heavenly favors and graces relative to their high 
office and to the arduous duties imposed on them. 

Q. How could Simeon say that Jesus Christ would 
be the occasion of the fall and resurrection of many 
in Israel? 

A. These words of Simeon correspond with the 
words in which Isaias predicted that the future Mes- 
sias would be the cause of the sanctification of some 
and for others a stumbling-block and an occasion of 
scandal. The fact then makes the prediction evi- 
dent, since it is seen that many, believing in Christ, 
will rise from the death of sin and obtain eternal life, 
and others will be obstinate in their blindness, fall 
into greater sins, and cast themselves by their obsti- 
nacy of heart into the abyss of perdition. 

Q. What did Simeon mean when he said Christ was 
set " for a sign that shall be contradicted " ? 



32 SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS. 

A. According to the best interpreters, among whom 
are Origen, St. Basil, and Tertullian, the word sign 
means the same as prodigy or portent. In this sense 
the generation, life, doctrines, miracles, passion, death, 
and resurrection of Jesus Christ are a prodigy and a 
portent which could never have been imagined by the 
human mind. This prodigy many have believed, and 
many have contradicted it so far as to crucify Him and 
continue to persecute Him, ever sitting at the right 
hand of the Father in heaven. It is in this light we 
should consider the words of Simeon; in this light 
His prophecy has been verified. 

Q. What is this sword that was to pierce the soul of 
Mary? 

A. The sword of grief and sorrow, by which at the 
foot of the cross she became the Queen of martyrs. 
Let us admire here the strength of soul and resigna- 
tion to the will of heaven shown by Mary, who was 
not disturbed by so sad a prophecy. Let us learn 
from her to accept with silent resignation the tribu- 
lations which it may please God to permit us to see 
approaching. 

Q. Who was the woman who " departed not from 
the temple"? 

A. An aged woman called Anna, the daughter of 
Phanuel, a man of renown even after his death. She 
was married when young ; after seven years her hus- 
band died, and she remained a widow, leading a de- 
vout life to the age of eighty-four years, in the high- 
est public esteem. 

Q. What did she do in the temple? 
A. It is believed that she dwelt in apartments 
adjoining the temple and instructed and directed in 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS. 33 

virtue the young maidens sent there by their pious 
parents, directing them by her good example, her 
piety, and her prayers. Blessed are those who imi- 
tate her example in directing souls to God ! 

Q. What did Anna say of Christ, and to whom did 
she speak? 

A. She said that the Child was indeed the expected 
Messias, the Son of God, clothed in our flesh; that He 
came to take away the sins of the world and to redeem 
the human race from the slavery of Satan and from 
eternal death. All this she told to those pious souls 
who, resting on the faith of the patriarchs and trust- 
ing in the promises of the prophets, believed and 
hoped in the Christ to come, and awaited from Him 
the redemption of afflicted Israel. * 

Q. What should we learn from this account for our 
spiritual benefit? 

A. These old people, Simeon and Anna, led a holy 
life, and always believed in and hoped for Jesus Christ 
to 'come. They obtained the grace to see Him with 
their own eyes and to press Him to their breasts, and 
at the proper time were enlightened by the Holy 
Ghost to recognize Him and announce Him to others. 

Q. And what do you conclude from all this? 

A. That if we begin from childhood to lead a holy 
life and persevere, as they did, in good works, we 
can, like them, press to our breasts Jesus Christ in 
spirit and truth; we will obtain light, and be able 
to make Him known to many. And lastly, at the end 
of our lives we shall be contented and resigned, as 
Anna and Simeon were, and be able to say with them 
that we die happy, because death for us is the pas- 
sage to eternal beatitude. 
3 



34 NEW YEAR'S DAY. FEAST OF THE CIRCUMCISION. 



NEW YEAR'S DAY. — THE FEAST OF THE CIR- 
CUMCISION. 

Gospel: St. Luke ii. 21. 

" A ND after eight days were accomplished that the 
A Child should be circumcised, His name was called 
Jesus, which was called by the angel, before He was 
conceived in the womb." 

Q. What do the few words of the Gospel of to-day 
refer to? 

A. We are told that on the eighth day after His 
birth the Infant Jesus, in fulfilment of the law was 
circumcised, and that He was called Jesus, as had 
been foretold by the Archangel Gabriel when he an- 
nounced to Mary her miraculous conception. 

Q. Was Our Lord obliged to receive circumcision? 

A. He was not. The law of circumcision was made 
for bondsmen and sinners, and as Christ was the Son 
of God, the master of the law, holiness itself, He was 
not under the law. We should admire the great ex- 
ample of humility which Jesus Christ here gives us. 
As in His birth He appeared to us as man, He wished 
at His circumcision to appear as a sinner. 

Q. But if He was not subject to the law of circum- 
cision, why subject Himself to it? 

A. St. Thomas gives seven reasons for this, col- 
lected from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. 
First, He willed to subject Himself to circumcision to 
prepare a proof against the heresies of the Mani- 
chians, the Apollonarists, and the Valentinians. The 
Manichians taught that the body of Christ was an 



NEW YEAR'S DAY. FEAST OF THE CIRCUMCISION. 35 

apparition, not a real, material body; the Apollonar- 
ists held that His body was of the same substance as 
the Divinity — consubstantial with it; the Valentin- 
ians taught that the Divine Word brought His body 
from heaven. The act of circumcision proved that 
the body of Our Lord was a real, material body, sub- 
ject to suffering and of the same material as ours, and 
thus the teachings of these heretics were disproved. 

Q. What are the other reasons given by St. 
Thomas? 

A. Besides that just given, Christ desired to be 
circumcised, first, to approve the rite of circumcision 
instituted by God in the covenant with Abraham; 
second, to prove to the world that He was descended 
from that patriarch to whom circumcision was exclu- 
sively commanded and from whom should descend the 
Saviour; third, to take from the Jews every pretext to 
reject Him as a stranger ; fourth, to teach us by His 
example obedience to the laws; fifth, not to reject 
that remedy which until then was used to cleanse 
from sin ; and lastly, to free us from that legal bur- 
den by substituting Himself for us all. 

Q. Why was the Child called Jesus? 

A. Because this name came from God by the mouth 
of the Archangel Gabriel, who was sent to the most 
holy Virgin and St. Joseph ; and also because the 
name Jesus was the only one proper to Him Who had 
come to save the human race from eternal death, to 
reconcile men to God and open to them the gates of 
eternal life. Jesus signifies saviour. 

Q. What is to be said in praise of this name? 
A. It is the most precious balm to the Christian 
believer, St. Bernard calls it the oil that illuminates, 



36 NEW YEAR'S DAY. FEAST OF THE CIRCUMCISION. 

that soothes and cures every wound. The name of 
Jesus illuminates the whole world as with oil ; as oil it 
has nourished numbers and will always nourish pious 
souls ; and as oil it heals all spiritual plagues, so that, 
in the words of St. Peter, in this name alone we can 
hope to obtain eternal life. 

Q. How can it be said that the name of Jesus 
illuminates the whole world? 

A. Before the name of Jesus was announced to the 
world the whole human race was in universal dark- 
ness. At its announcement the world learned to 
know God, to know the heavenly truths hitherto un- 
known to human philosophy, and to know the way 
to lead a just and holy life before God and men. 

Q. How can it be said that the name of Jesus nour- 
ishes the just soul? 

A. Nothing that is earthly can satisfy the soul of 
man. No matter how great his possessions, he can 
never be contented. But the just soul finds all in 
Jesus Christ. The intellect, the will, and the heart 
find in this name satiety, sweetness, and happiness. 
Be holy and you will experience the force, the value, 
and the truth of these words. 

Q. How is the name of Jesus the balm of salvation? 

A. As the lame man in the porch of the temple 
was cured by that name, so the soul that invokes it 
will be healed; the sinner, the weak, the doubting, 
and the afflicted, if they invoke the name of Jesus 
with faith and love, will find relief, and pass from 
death to life. 

Q. What do we learn from the Child Jesus on this 
occasion ? 

A. If Jesus while yet so young wished to shed His 



FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY. 



37 



precious blood for love of us, we from our youth 
should consecrate to Him our .sufferings, our afflictions, 
and our souls. If He, though not obliged to do so, 
subjected Himself to this most painful law, we also 
should make it a duty to obey willingly His Church 
and our spiritual and temporal superiors. And as His 
name is so great and powerful, we should learn to 
reverence it and to invoke it with confidence, that we 
may be enlightened, nourished, and freed from all 
our spiritual miseries. 



FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY. 

Gospel: St. Matthew ii. 1-12. 

"TT7HEN Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of 
VV Juda, in the days of King Herod, behold, there 
came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where 
is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen 
His star in the East, and we are come to adore Him. And 
King Herod, hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem 
with him. And assembling together all the chief priests 
and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where 
Christ should be born. But they said to him : In Bethlehem 
of Juda: for so it is written by the prophet : And thou, 
Bethlehem, the land of Juda, art not the least among the 
princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the 
captain that shall rule My people Israel. Then Herod 
privately calling the wise men learned diligently of them 
the time of the star which appeared to them, and sending 
them into Bethlehem, said: Go and diligently inquire 
after the Child: and when you have found Him, bring 
me word again, that I also may come and adore Him. 
Who, having heard the king, went their way: and 
behold, the star which they had seen in the East went 



3» 



FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY. 



before them, until it came and stood over where the 
Child was. And seeing the star they rejoiced with ex- 
ceeding" great joy. And entering into the house, they 
found the Child with Mary His Mother; and falling down 
they adored Him : and opening their treasures, they offered 
Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having 
received an answer in sleep that they should not return 
to Herod, they went back another way into their own 
country." 

Q. Who was this Herod under whose government 
Christ was born ? 

A. He was the oldest son of Antipater, the Idumian 
from the city of Ascalon, who was appointed king of 
the Jews by the Roman Senate at the recommenda- 
tion of Mark Antony. He was the father of Herod 
Antipas, who ordered the beheading of St. John the 
Baptist, and grandfather of Herod Agrippa, who 
caused St. James to be put to death and the same who 
imprisoned St. Peter. St. Matthew informs us that 
Herod ruled in the time of the birth of Christ, fulfil- 
ling the prophecy of Jacob, who foretold the coming 
of Christ when the sceptre had passed into the hands 
of strangers. This prophecy was verified when the 
Roman Senate appointed Herod, of Idumian origin, 
king of the Jews. 

Q. Who were these Magi of whom the Evangelist 

speaks? 

A. They were men distinguished for their knowl- 
edge, particularly of astronomy, and according to 
some Fathers and Doctors they were petty kings of 
the East who came, as was foretold in the seventy- 
first psalm, from Arabia and from Saba to offer their 
gifts and adoration to the Messias. 



FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY. 



39 



Q. In what way were they invited? 

A. They saw the star which according to prophetic 
prediction was to appear when the promised Saviour 
was born, and by the interior operation of grace they 
recognized it as the sign of His birth and hastened to 
follow its course. According to the opinion of the 
Fathers, they were the first of the Gentiles who were 
called to enter into the Church of Christ. 

Q. What is worthy of remark in the conduct of the 
Magi? 

A. We must admire their promptness in corre- 
sponding to the invitation of grace. Immediately on 
the appearance of the star they, giving no heed to 
the suggestions of human prudence, the difficulties of 
the way, and the uncertainties of success, left their 
homes and set out in search of the Child ; and while 
thus seeking in obedience to the voice of heaven, they 
teach us with what disregard of human interests, with 
what solicitude and courage, we should always follow 
divine inspiration and the call of heaven. 

Q. But why were the Magi directed to Jerusalem ? 

A. We must here remember that a prophet had 
called Jerusalem the queen of the world and the joy 
of all the earth. In Jerusalem alone was the temple 
dedicated to the true God ; to Jerusalem came wor- 
shippers from all parts of the world ; there were pre- 
served the holy books, and there were found the great 
teachers of the law. For this reason the Magi directed 
their steps to the capital of the nation, reasonably 
hoping to find there a most certain guide who could 
conduct them to the desired place. We learn from 
this to have recourse to those who by reason of their 
sacred character, office, learning, and prudence may 



4o 



FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY. 



direct our steps when we feel impelled by some inte- 
rior call of heaven. 

Q. What are we to think of the question of the 
Magi when in Jerusalem in reference to the new-born 
King of the Jews? 

A. Their questionings left without excuse the peo- 
ple of Jerusalem who did not recognize and strive to 
know the Saviour. The coming of the Magi and 
their seeking for the new-born King of the Jews 
should have attracted the attention of all in the city, 
and the answers which the Doctors of the Law, after 
consulting the books of the prophets, gave to them and 
to Herod, by whom they were consulted, should have 
attracted the attention of every citizen to what had 
happened in full conformity with the expectations of 
their fathers, with the desires of the people, and with 
the circumstances in which all the prophecies culmi- 
nated. It would be unfortunate for us if we, like the 
Jews, should attribute to accident or fate that which 
is God's work. 

Q. What are we to say of the promise of Herod? 

A. The cries of the children brutally slaughtered 
by his command give the answer. His zealous devo- 
tion to the new-born King of the Jews was hypocriti- 
cally assumed in order to deceive the Magi and get the 
divine Infant into his power that he might put Him to 
death. His deceit failing of its object, he commanded 
all the male infants to be put to death that in the 
general slaughter the infant Jesus might be included. 
Alas ! not all those who make a show of zeal for the 
truth, justice, and glory of the Eternal Father are 
lovers of Jesus Christ. 

Q. What is to be said of the Magi who, after depart- 



FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY. 



ing from Jerusalem, again saw the star which had led 
them from the East? 

A. We should comfort ourselves with the reflection 
that when, like the Magi, we sincerely seek to know 
the divine will, and seek in the proper manner by 
consulting learned and enlightened teachers, we will 
be led to the desired end. God is faithful. Let us 
submit ourselves to His guidance and He will send 
us His light to direct us. 

Q. How did the Magi recognize the infant Mes- 
sias Whom they sought? 

A. From the words of the Sacred Text it is to be 
inferred that the star stopped over the place where 
the Child Jesus reposed, and this wonderful event 
attracted the attention of the Magi and caused them 
to enter. It is not difficult to imagine the impression 
the presence of the God-man made on them and the 
grace it wrought in them. He Who when grown up 
knew how to call His apostles after Him, could as a 
child make Himself known to the Magi, and make 
them His worshippers. 

Q. What did the Magi offer Him, and with what 
intention? 

A. The Gospel tells us they offered Him gold, 
frankincense, and myrrh. By the gold, says St. 
Gregory, they recognized Him as king, by the in- 
cense they acknowledged Him as God, and by the 
myrrh they indicated His human nature. They, says 
St. Leo, proclaimed by the nature of their gifts the 
faith that was in their hearts, and with full knowl- 
edge they venerated in His person two natures, the 
divine and human of Jesus Christ. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 



4 2 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



A. We should learn to recognize in the Magi the 
first-fruits of our vocation to the faith, and to thank 
God that we have been made Christians. We should 
learn also to follow the divine call and to offer to 
Jesus Christ the gold of charity, the incense of prayer, 
and the myrrh of holy mortification and Christian 
penance. 



ii to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast. 
And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the 
Child Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents knew 
it not. And thinking that He was in the company, they 
came a day's journey and sought Him among their kins- 
folk and acquaintance; and not finding Him, they re- 
turned into Jerusalem seeking Him. And it came to 
pass that after three days they found Him in the temple, 
sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and 
asking questions. And all that heard Him were aston- 
ished at His wisdom and His answers. And seeing Him, 
they wondered. And His Mother said to Him ■ Son, why 
hast thou done so to us: Behold, Thy father and I have 
sought Thee sorrowing. And He said to them : How is 
it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be 
about My Father's business? And they understood not 
the word that He spoke unto them. And He went down 
with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to 
them. And His Mother kept all these words in her heart. 
And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with 
God and men." 

Q. What does St. Luke tell us here? 

A. He tells us that Our Lord at the age of twelve 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



Gospel : St. Luke ii. 42-52. 




twelve years old, they went up 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



43 



years went with His holy Mother and St. Joseph to 
Jerusalem to be present at the festival, which was 
solemnized for seven days, in the Temple, and the 
feast of the Pasch or Passover; that these days being 
over, He was lost from their sight and remained in 
Jerusalem in the Temple while they set out for their 
home believing that He was in the company of His 
relatives. 

Q. Were Mary and Joseph inattentive or negligent 
on this occasion? 

A. Certainly not. But God had thus disposed it, 
and the greatest human vigilance cannot avail against 
the dispositions of divine Providence. 

Q. What did they do after having lost Jesus? 

A. They were in great affliction, and hastened to 
seek for Him among their friends and relatives, and 
not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem, hoping 
to find Him there. 

Q. What should the just learn from the afflictions 
of Mary and Joseph? 

A. They should learn that even souls most dear to 
God are not exempt from trials and tribulations, and 
that God sometimes withdraws Himself from them 
in despondency, fear, and temptations for the sole 
purpose of increasing their virtue, their merit, and 
their glory in heaven. 

Q. And what may sinners learn from these holy 
persons? 

A. They should learn what ought to be the senti- 
ments of their own hearts when they have lost God 
by their sins ; how eagerly they should seek to find 
Him by repentance, and that they should have 



44 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



recourse to the friends of God, the saints, to obtain 
the graces necessary for a true conversion. 

Q. What does Jesus teach us by the reply to His 
Mother? 

A. He teaches us that when there is a question of 
the glory of God, the interests of religion, or the 
duties of conscience, we should disregard all human 
considerations. 

Q. Where did Jesus Christ go after leaving Jeru- 
salem on this occasion? 

A. He went with the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph 
to the village of Nazareth in the tribe of Zabulon, 
where they dwelt. 

Q. How far is Nazareth from Jerusalem? 

A. About seventy miles. From this we may know 
the inconveniences these holy persons underwent in 
order to be present at the solemnities in Jerusalem. 
In view of this, how culpable are those who for slight 
cause, or no cause at all, absent themselves from 
divine service on Sundays and holydays. 

Q. What did Jesus Christ do in the house of 
Joseph? 

A. He lived poor and unknown in submission 
and obedience to His foster-father and to Mary His 
Mother, and the Scriptures tell us that He grew in 
wisdom and grace before God and man. 

Q. What should we learn from this? 

A. We should learn that if Jesus Christ, King of 
kings and Lord of lords, did not refuse to obey Mary 
and Joseph, we should not refuse to obey humbly and 
voluntarily our parents, superiors, and all who are 
charged with our care and education. What a conso- 
lation to think when obeying that we imitate Jesus 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



45 



Christ, Who by His submission to Mary and Joseph 
sanctified and made obedience meritorious. 

Q. Is there anything more to be said on this 
Gospel ? 

A. Yes. It is stated that Jesus increased in age, 
in wisdom, and in grace. From this we should learn 
that we also as we advance in years should increase 
in the knowledge of religion, in Christian virtue, and 
in the observance of the duties of our state in life. 
As Jesus increased in grace before men and in merit 
before God, so we as we grow older should make 
ourselves beloved of men by our charity, and beloved 
of God by abounding in merit, by the exercises of 
piety, and above all by frequenting the holy sacra- 
ments. 

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
Gospel: St. John ii. i-ii. 

AT that time : " There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee : 
and the Mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also 
was invited, and His disciples, to the marriage. And the 
wine failing, the Mother of Jesus saith to Him: They 
have no wine. And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is 
that to Me and to thee? My hour is not yet come. His 
Mother saith to the waiters : Whatsoever He shall say to 
you, do ye. Now there were set there six water-pots of 
stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the 
Jews, containing two or three measures apiece. Jesus 
saith to them : Fill the water-pots with water. And they 
filled them up to the brim. And Jesus saith to them : 
Draw out now and carry to the chief steward of the feast. 
And they carried it. And when the chief steward had 
tasted the water made wine, and knew not whence it was, 



4 6 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



but the waiters knew who had drawn the water: the chief 
steward calleth the bridegroom, and saith to him : Every 
man at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have 
well drank, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept 
the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles 
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and He manifested His glory, 
and His disciples believed in Him." 

Q. Is it not strange that Jesus and Mary were 
invited to a wedding-feast? 

A. No. Because it is said that the husband was 
Simon, the son of Cleophas the brother of St. Joseph 
and therefore nephew of the Blessed Virgin and 
cousin, according to law, of Jesus Christ. Besides, at 
that feast there were no improprieties or over-indul- 
gence, which so often dishonors the tables of many 
Christians, to be feared. And lastly, Jesus Christ, 
as St. John Chrysostom tells us, wished to give to the 
world a useful lesson. 

Q. "What was this lesson? 

A, When at the wedding Jesus took occasion to 
manifest His divine power by which those present 
were led to recognize in Him the expected Messias. 
Besides, He prepared a condemnation of those here- 
tics who taught that matrimony was the work of the 
devil. And lastly, He wished to teach us that we 
should not refuse to contribute, when we are able, to 
the innocent enjoyment of our friends, for in this 
way the bond of peace and Christian friendship is 
preserved. 

Q. Why did Mary take such great interest when 
she knew that there was no more wine? 

A. St. Bernard tells us she is truly the Mother of 
mercy. She foresaw and felt the shame and con- 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



47 



fusion of the poor husband and wife when the wine 
would give out before the feast was over. In her 
goodness, tenderness, and charity she begged Jesus 
to provide it and relieve them from humiliation by a 
miracle. Oh, if all Christians had equal solicitude 
to spare their neighbors shame and confusion ! But 
too frequently the confusion of others is a triumph 
and a joy to many egotists who are always talking 
about charity without knowing what it is. 

Q. Why then did Jesus reply that His hour had 
not yet come ? 

A. Up to this time, says St. John Chrysostom, only 
the Blessed Virgin had noticed the failure of the wine, 
and if He had immediately worked the miracle re- 
quested of Him, she alone and no others would have 
known and attested it. It was not yet time for such 
a great work. It was necessary to wait till all were 
aware that the wine had given out, so that all would 
be witnesses of the miracle and recognize the omnip- 
otence and divinity of Jesus Christ. It was perhaps 
for this reason also that Mary said to the servants : 
Do whatsoever He commands you. 

Q. Could not Jesus have produced the wine in some 
other manner? 

A". No doubt He could have done so, but it pleased 
Him, says St. Chrysostom, to make use of the work of 
the servants that they might see the prodigy wrought 
and testify to the truth of the miracle by which the 
divinity of our Redeemer was made manifest. 

Q. Is there anything to observe about this miracle? 

A. We should observe that Jesus Christ by this 
miracle prepared the way for that still greater miracle 
which He was to work in the institution of the Most 



4 8 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



Holy Sacrament, by showing that as He was able to 
convert insipid water into generous wine He could also 
convert bread and wine into His own body and blood. 

Q. Did Jesus wish to teach us anything else by 
this miracle? 

A. He wished to teach us that as water serves in 
the order of nature to purify the body, so His precious 
blood, symbolized by the wine, sanctifies the soul in 
the order of grace. 

Q. Did not the water also symbolize the human 
race? 

A. Yes, as the water was transformed by the power 
of Jesus Christ into delicious wine, so the human race, 
devoid of merit and valueless in itself, became sweet- 
ened and precious before God by the grace, merits, 
and blood of Our Saviour. 

Q. What are we to learn from the married couple 
in this day's Gospel? 

A. We should learn to conduct ourselves at our 
tables and nuptials as if Jesus were invited and pres- 
ent by His grace. Jesus Christ will bless the nuptials 
of those who are led by a right motive and not by 
caprice, interest, and passion; and He will bless our 
tables when sobriety, modesty, and the fear of God 
are present. 

Q. What are we to learn from the intervention of 
Mary? 

A. If the Blessed Virgin felt such compassion for 
that poor couple in a temporal matter, how much may 
we not hope from her when the object is spiritual and 
in favor of our souls. If unasked she showed such 
an interest in them as to ask her Son to work a mira- 
cle, what will she not do for us when we confide in 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



49 



her tenderness and invoke her by the name of 
mother? 

Q. Is there anything further to learn? 

A. As Jesus immediately complied with the request 
of Mary, how promptly will He not grant us every 
grace when His most Blessed Mother speaks in our 
behalf? 

Q. In what way can we interest Mary in our favor? 

A. By doing faithfully all that Jesus Christ com- 
mands us to do; then by imitating her holy virtues, 
particularly her humility, mercy, modesty, charity 
towards our neighbor and her zeal for the glory of 
God, and finally by having for her a sincere and filial 
devotion, and by invoking her frequently as a tender 
mother. 

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

Gospel: St. Matthew viii. 1-13. 

AT that time: "When Jesus was come down from the 
mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And be- 
hold a leper came and adored Him, saying: Lord, if Thou 
wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus stretching 
forth His hand, touched him, saying : I will. Be thou made 
clean. And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus 
saith to him : See thou tell no man : but go, show thyself 
to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded 
for a testimony unto them. And when He had entered 
into Capharnaum there came to Him a centurion, beseech- 
ing Him, and saying: Lord, my servant lieth at home sick 
of the palsy, and is grievously tormented. And Jesus 
saith to him : I will come and heal him. And the cen- 
turion making answer said: Lord, I am not worthy that 
thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the 
4 



50 THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a 
man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and 
I say to this man Go, and he goeth ; and to another Come, 
and he cometh ; and to my servant Do this, and he doeth 
it. And Jesus hearing this, marvelled, and said to them 
that followed Him: Amen I say to you, I have not found 
so great faith in Israel. And I say unto you that many 
shall come from the East and the West, and shall sit down 
with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of 
heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out 
into the exterior darkness : there shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion: 
Go, and as thou hast believed so be it done to thee. And 
the servant was healed at the same hour." 

Q. Of whom was this leper a figure? 

A. This man who was afflicted with the leprosy and 
healed by the Redeemer was an image of man cor- 
rupted by sin and by means of penance cured by the 
powerful grace of Jesus Christ. 

Q. How do you explain the prostration which he 
made and his words : Lord, if thou wilt Thou canst 
make me clean? 

A. This man by his adoration teaches us with 
what humility, faith, and abasement the truly contrite 
sinner should present himself before God; and by 
his words he gives us an example of the great con- 
fidence and submission to the divine will with which 
penitents should implore the healing of their souls 
and beg to be freed from temptations. 

Q. Can it be said that God does with sinners as He 
did with the leper? 

A. He does so in a spiritual manner. God reaches 
forth His hand and touches the sinner when in His 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 5 1 

mercy He arouses him, calls him, and softens his 
heart, however hardened by sin. He says " I will" 
when by His powerful grace He enables him to break 
his chains. He says " Be thou healed" when He ap- 
plies the merits of Jesus Christ to his soul by the 
ministry of the priest, and frees him from the leprosy 
of sin. 

Q. Why did Jesus command, the leper not to make 
this miracle known ? 

A. This is an important lesson to the ministers of 
the sanctuary and to all Christians, that they should, 
according to their ability, do all the good possible in 
the Church and for the salvation of their fellow-men 
without glorifying themselves and without making it 
known in order to gain praise or reward. 

Q. What is to be said about the command to show 
himself to the priest and to offer the gifts prescribed 
by the law? 

A. It was prescribed in the law that lepers when 
cured should present themselves to the priests that 
they might be declared free from legal uncleanness, 
and on such occasions they were required to make 
an offering. If Our Lord had dispensed the leper 
from this custom He would have without reason dis- 
paraged the Mosaic Law and caused surprise and 
scandal. On this account He commanded the leper 
to comply with the law and at the same time taught 
all those who assist sinners that they should not de- 
part from the ordinary discipline, that they should 
avoid novelty, and oblige the penitent to conform to 
all laws regarding reparation of scandal and injury 
to the interests or reputation of others. Penitents 
should submit with docility, as the leper did, to the 



52 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



commands of the ministers of God, who should insist 
on the observance of the law, however onerous it 
may be. 

Q. Who was the centurion who presented himself 
to Our Lord? 

A. He was a Roman soldier, a captain of a hun- 
dred men who garrisoned the town of Capharnaum. 
There are some who think that this was the same 
Cornelius who, warned by an angel, as we read in 
the Acts of the Apostles, sent for St. Peter to instruct 
him in the faith and baptize him ; and also that he 
might have been the father of that other centurion 
who was in command at the crucifixion of Christ, and 
who exclaimed : Truly, this Jesus was the Son of God. 

Q. Of what was the paralysis of the centurion's 
servant an image ? 

A. It was an image of the state of a soul deprived 
of the grace of God. Those who saw that servant 
saw an unhappy man, trembling all over, unable to 
direct his steps or perform any act, subject to fits, 
miserable and dying. Now, the soul without the 
grace of God is in a like condition. It cannot direct 
its steps on account of the shocks of the passions ; it 
can do nothing good; it yields to temptation, is de- 
prived of true comfort, and is ever suspended over 
the sepulchre of eternal death. Oh, let us pray, and 
pray continually to God that we may never be de- 
prived of the help of His grace. 

Q. What may we learn from this centurion? 

A. He is to be admired for his charity to his ser- 
vant and for his great humility in confessing his 
unworthiness to receive Jesus Christ into his house. 
Employers should learn of him that charity which 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



53 



they should have for those under them. And all 
Christians should learn to recognize themselves as 
unworthy of the favors which God is pleased to confer 
upon them through His merciful kindness and not 
through any merit of their own. Lastly, let us reflect 
that the Church takes so great account of the words 
of the centurion that she deems them worthy to be 
repeated three times when we are about to receive 
Jesus Christ into our hearts in the holy Communion. 

Q. And what are we to learn from the words of 
Christ, " I will come and heal him"? 

A. These words should inspire us with consoling 
hope and convince us that God is prompt in granting 
His mercy when we ask His assistance with the faith, 
confidence, and humility of the centurion. 

Q. Why did Jesus show surprise at the faith of 
the centurion? 

A. Our Lord knew well the excellent dispositions 
of the centurion before he spoke, but He wished to 
manifest His surprise for His own wise purposes. 
He desired to show the mercy of His Eternal Father, 
Who gave the grace of such great faith and humility 
to a man educated in the army and among the Gen- 
tiles. He wished to call the attention of the Jews to 
their blindness in being so slow to recognize that 
Messias Whom, by reason of the prophecies and of 
the miracles worked by Him, they should have been 
the first to recognize. He wished to give a reproof 
to those Christians who with the many means of sal- 
vation at their disposal belie their faith by their 
works and place themselves out of the way of salva- 
tion. 

Q. What did Jesus intend when He said that many 



54 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY 



would come from the East and from the West to re- 
pose in the bosom of Abraham, and that the children 
of the kingdom would be cast out and condemned to 
darkness? 

A. By these words He foretold that the Gentiles 
would embrace the faith and enter into the Church, 
while the Jews, the first called, would, through their 
incredulity and obstinacy, be excluded and con- 
demned. He shows us also that though living in the 
bosom of the Church we are not certain of dying there- 
in, for if we fail in Christian perseverance we shall 
be excluded from the kingdom of heaven. Lastly, He 
has warned us to be as persevering in the faith as 
Abraham, as obedient unto death as Isaac, and as full 
of confidence as Jacob, in the hope of the happiness 
of heaven. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
Gospel: St. Matthew viii. 23-27. 

AT that time: "When He entered into the boat His dis- 
ciples followed Him: And behold a great tempest 
arose in the sea, so that the ship was covered with waves, 
but He was asleep. And His disciples came to Him, and 
awaked Him, saying: Lord, save us, we perish. And 
Jesus saith to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little 
faith? Then rising up, He commanded the winds and the 
sea, and there came a great calm. But the men won- 
dered, saying: What manner of man is this, for the winds 
and the sea obey Him?" 

Q. What does this ship into which Christ entered 
represent? 

A. It represents holy Church placed in the midst 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



55 



of the vicissitudes of the world like a ship in mid- 
ocean. Jesus Christ, on account of His promise, 
is ever found with His disciples in the Catholic 
Church as He was with His apostles in the ship on the 
Sea of Galilee. This should be a great consolation 
to us. He who keeps his mind fixed on this great 
truth sees what takes place in the Church in a very 
different light from that in which it is seen by the 
outside world. 

Q. Does this ship represent only the Church ? 

A. It also symbolizes a human soul in which Jesus 
Christ is present by His grace. This soul is like a 
ship amid the angry waves ; every passion threatens 
a storm, every pleasure a rock, and the whole course 
of life is a sea full of dangers through which it must 
pass. If this soul can keep Jesus Christ with it, the 
winds will cease, the tempest abate, the dangers 
vanish, tranquillity prevail, and it will come safe, 
laden with merit, to the harbor of Eternal Life. 

Q. What do the winds and tempest signify in refer- 
ence to the just soul? 

A. To the just soul the winds and tempest are 
temptations, fears, anxieties, and tribulations of every 
kind, which God frequently permits souls dear to 
Him to undergo. The Antonys, the Hilarions, the 
Teresas, the Magdalens di Pazzi, and the Chantals 
have experienced this great truth to their greater 
glory and for the consolation of all Christians. 

Q. What means the sleep of Christ? 

A. It means that God, in His inscrutable ways, 
does not always stop in their beginning the storms 
that rise up against the Church or allay the afflictions 
of just souls, but permits rather that they increase 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



and become furious while He seems to sleep, to show 
us the necessity of having recourse to Him, and that 
we may win, by our own strength assisted by His 
grace, a more glorious crown in heaven. He permits 
the storm to acquire its full strength because His 
power is more manifest when at the proper time He 
raises His omnipotent hand and produces the un- 
looked-for calm. 

Q. What do we learn from the apostles who has- 
tened to awake Christ? 

A. We learn that in public as well as private dan- 
gers, in calamities of Church or State as well as in 
dangers to our souls, we should invoke Him with con- 
fidence as the apostles did, and with hearts full of 
love and free from the stain of sin, 

Q. Why did Jesus Christ reprove the apostles for 
awaking Him? 

A. He did not reprove them for awaking Him, but 
because they were wanting in faith and feared that 
they were about to perish, although He was so near. 
Those who fear should remember His words and 
learn to confide in that God Who sometimes appears 
to sleep, but Who is never far away, that God Who 
protects them with the tenderness of a father and 
leads them that they may not fall. 

Q. Is there nothing more to be observed? 

A. Jesus Christ, notwithstanding the little faith of 
the apostles, immediately calmed the storm; and 
while admiring His infinite goodness we see how a 
prayer, imperfect in the beginning, can lead us to 
the treasures of divine mercy. Let every sinner 
have recourse to Jesus Christ, and if not immediately, 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



57 



he will at least in a short time see the tempest cease 
and find peace. 

Q. What means "after the storm there came a 
great calm" ? 

A. From this we learn that God, the inexhaustible 
fountain of goodness, does not leave His children 
long in affliction, and that after the storm He brings 
the calm ; when we are in affliction we must expect 
consolation. Remain near Jesus, as the apostles did, 
and the storms of this life will make all the more 
sweet the tranquillity which we hope for in Paradise. 

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 
Gospel: St. Matthew xiii. 24-30. 
A T that time: Jesus spoke this parable to the multitude, 



ii saying: " The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man 
that sowed good seed in his field ; but while men were asleep 
his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat, 
and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, 
and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. 
And the servants of the good man of the house coming 
said to him : Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy 
field? Whence then hath it cockle? And he said to 
them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants 
said to him : Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And 
he said: No: lest perhaps gathering up the cockle you 
root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to 
grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I 
will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and 
bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye 
into my barn." 

Q. Who is this man who sowed the good seed? 
A. Jesus Christ, in the continuation of the dis- 




5» 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



course explaining the parable to the apostles, tells us 
that the sower is the Son of God, that is, Himself. 

Q. What is the field in which the good seed is sown ? 

A. It is the whole world, in which, on every side, 
was sown by the apostles and their successors the 
seed of the gospel, that is, the doctrine of Jesus Christ. 

Q. What is meant by the good seed? 

A. At first view it might be said that the good 
seed is the word of God, but according to the explana- 
tion of the Divine Master we are to understand by 
the good seed the effect rather than the cause, and 
therefore the good seed signifies the effect of the 
word of God, that is, the good Christians produced 
by the preaching of the apostles and their successors, 
the bishops, assisted by the priests, who teach the 
people in their name. 

Q. What does the cockle represent? 

A. It represents sinners, heretics, teachers of per- 
verse doctrines, in a word — all bad Christians. 

Q. Who is the enemy that sowed the cockle? 

A. The enemy that sowed the cockle is the devil, 
who incites sinners to evil, and all those who make 
themselves ministers of iniquity by scandals and per- 
verse teachings. 

Q. Who are meant by those that by sleeping gave 
opportunity to the enemy to sow cockle? 

A. Some think their sleep signifies the death of 
the apostles; but in those who by sleeping gave 
opportunity to the devil to sow the cockle we can recog- 
nize those ministers of the sanctuary who, negligent 
in the performance of their duties and wanting in 
vigilance and zeal, permit evil customs and ignorance 
to destroy the vineyard of Christ. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



59 



Q. Do those who sleep represent these only? 

A. Those who sleep and give the devil time to sow 
cockle represent also those parents, heads of commu- 
nities, and teachers who, devoid of the necessary 
solicitude and proper attention, leave those under 
them exposed to danger, and permit evil customs and 
disorders to be introduced into the home, the schools, 
and other places of education. 

Q. Who are those servants who point out and wish 
to uproot the cockle ? 

A. Some think these servants represent those over- 
zealous persons who wish to tolerate neither sinners 
nor defects in the world. Others see in these ser- 
vants the angels of the Lord, ministers of His wrath, 
instruments of His vengeance, death, public calam- 
ities, and all those disasters that would in a short 
time exterminate sinners if God in His infinite mercy 
did not prevent them. 

Q. Does God, according to this Gospel, spare the 
sinner for the sake of the just? 

A. Pestilence, war, and misfortunes of every kind 
spare princes and nations on account of the just 
souls who would suffer thereby. Thus the dissolute 
Sodom and Gomorrha would have been spared if only 
ten just men, like Lot, could have been found in them, 
as God promised to Abraham. 

Q. But why does God permit sinners to continue 
in the world, or the mysterious cockle to increase 
together with the good wheat ? 

A. God does this, says St. Augustine, to give time 
to sinners to be converted, and also to give occasion 
to the just to exercise patience and to render them- 
selves perfect in the midst of those who persecute 



60 FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

them and who by their scandals tempt them to 
sin. 

Q. What is the harvest time in which the cockle will 
be separated from the good wheat? 

A. The harvest time is the last day of the world, in 
which good Christians will be separated from the 
wicked ; when the just will be placed on the right 
hand and the impious on the left of Jesus Christ, 
Who will be the Judge. 

Q. Who will make this separation? 

A. The angels of the Lord will make it, as Christ 
has already told us. Immediately on the resurrection 
of the flesh the angels will distinguish the just from 
the impious and separate them. 

Q. And will the angels favor no one? 

A. They will favor no one. Relationship, nobility, 
honors, titles, talents, learning, dress, sword, mitre, 
sceptre will on that day protect no one. The just 
will be on the right hand, the wicked on the left, and 
every one will be judged according to his works. 

Q. What is the barn into which the wheat will be 
gathered, and what the place into which the cockle 
will be cast? 

A. The wheat, that is, the just, will be gathered 
together in the paradise of God, and the cockle, that 
is, the wicked, will be cast into hell for all eternity. 

Q. What should we learn from this parable? 

A. We should learn three things. First, to be 
vigilant that the devil may not sow cockle in our 
hearts or in the hearts of those under our care. 
Second, to console and sympathize with poor sinners. 
Third, to endeavor to make ourselves wheat for 
paradise and not cockle for eternal fire. 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



6 1 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

Gospel: St. Matthew xiii. 31-35. 

AT that time, Jesus spoke this parable to the multitudes, 
saying: " The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of 
mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 
which is the least indeed of all seeds, but when it is 
grown up it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a 
tree, so that the birds of the air come and dwell in the 
branches thereof. Another parable He spoke to them: 
The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman 
took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole 
was leavened. All these things Jesus spoke in parables 
to the multitudes : and without parables He did not speak 
to them : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
the prophet, saying: I will open My mouth in parables, 
I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the 
world." 

Q. What is meant by the grain of mustard seed? 
A. St. Hilary tells us that by the grain of mustard 
seed Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is meant. 

Q. How is it a figure of Christ? 

A. By its littleness, its increase, and its virtues. 

Q. How is it a figure of Christ by its littleness? 

A. Though the grain of mustard seed is capable of 
great development, before it is put in the ground it 
is among the smallest of seeds. So Jesus Christ, 
though He is great, strong, and glorious by His 
divinity, and though He is to receive the adoration 
of the whole world on account of His glorious resurrec- 
tion, yet He belittled, humiliated, annihilated Himself 
so as to appear weak, afflicted of God, a worm and not 



62 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



a man, the opprobrium of the Gentiles, and a stum- 
bling-block to the multitude. 

Q. How is Jesus Christ represented by the increase 
of the mustard seed? 

A. As the little seed, in its development, rises 
from the earth, grows large and strong, and affords 
shelter and refuge to the beasts and birds, so Jesus 
Christ, rising and going forth from the sepulchre, 
triumphed in the midst of human generations and 
received under the shadow of His cross not only 
the ignorant and the lowly but also the wise and the 
great ; not only sinners who came to take refuge at 
His feet, but also the just, who, flying as the eagle on 
high, find in Him an asylum, strength and nourish- 
ment, in the difficult way of evangelical perfection. 

Q. How is Jesus Christ represented by the virtues 
of the mustard seed? 

A. This seed is regarded as a vigorous excitant, 
an agreeable condiment, and an efficacious medicine. 
In like manner, Jesus Christ by His doctrines aroused 
the people from the lethargy of their passions; by 
His example He made sweet and light all duties how- 
ever painful or difficult, and by His grace He healed 
all our infirmities and preserved the health and life 
of our souls. 

Q. Is not the Church also symbolized by the mus- 
tard seed? 

A. Yes, the Church is also indicated by the words 
of Christ. The Church in the beginning was com- 
posed of but few persons, the apostles, the disciples, 
and five hundred others who, as St. Peter tells us, had 
seen the Redeemer after His resurrection. But this 
Church, so small at its birth, spread with wonderful 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 



63 



rapidity throughout the whole world, and in her 
bosom men found comfort, repose, and consolation. 

Q. And what means the parable of the woman who 
hid the leaven in the three measures of meal till all 
was fermented? 

A. According- to St. Augustine, the woman is a 
figure of the Church, the leaven is the preaching of 
the apostles, and the fermentation is that change of 
mind, will, and affections which is produced in men 
by the preaching of the gospel. 

Q. Can we not also learn something from this 
parable in regard to morals? 

A. Yes. The grain of mustard, which develops 
into a plant and gives refuge and shelter to bird and 
beast, teaches us how great an increase a little virtue 
is capable of when kept and nourished in the heart by 
a faithful compliance with grace. And the little 
leaven, which sours the meal, shows the ruin which 
one single vice may produce in the body and mind of 
youth when not repressed in the beginning. 

Q. But why did Jesus Christ speak to the multi- 
tude in parables? 

A. This way of speaking practised by Our Re- 
deemer affords a singular proof of His divine mission. 
The Royal Prophet had said, in the seventy-seventh 
psalm, that the coming Christ would speak in para- 
bles, and by them reveal truths hidden from the eyes 
of the world ; and therefore the Divine Teacher, even 
in this particular, gave a sign by which He could be 
recognized when He taught the multitude in parables. 

Q. In view of all this, what should we do? 

A. In the first place, we should understand that the 
triumphs of the gospel are not the work of chance or 



64 



SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



of men, but of God, Who prepared for it and accom- 
plished it. In the second place, we should rejoice 
that we are now no longer instructed by shadows and 
figures not always easily understood, but in a manner 
clear and evident. In conclusion, we should see to it 
that the germs of faith should grow vigorously in our 
intellect, engraft themselves on our will, bloom in 
the affections of our heart, and bring forth the fruit 
of good works. 

SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
Gospel: St. Matthew xx. 1-16. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples this parable: 
" The kingdom of heaven is like to a householder, 
who went early in the morning to hire laborers into his 
vineyard. And having agreed with the laborers for a 
penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going 
out about the third hour he saw others standing in the 
market-place idle, and he said to them: Go you also 
into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just. 
And they went their way. And again he went out about 
the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner. 
But about the eleventh hour he went out and found 
others standing, and he saith to them : Why stand you 
here all the day idle? They say to him; Because no 
man hath hired us. He saith to them : Go you also into 
my vineyard. And when evening was come the lord of 
the vineyard saith to his steward : Call the laborers and 
pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to 
the first. When therefore they were come that came about 
the eleventh hour they received every man a penny. But 
when the first also came, they thought that they should 
receive more: and they also received every man a penny. 
And receiving it they murmured against the master of 



SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



65 



the house, saying: These last have worked but one hour, 
and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne 
the burden of the day and the heats. But he answering 
said to one of them : Friend, I do thee no wrong : didst 
thou not agree with me for a penny? Take what is thine, 
and go thy way : I will also give to this last even as to 
thee. Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? 
Is thy eye evil because I am good? So shall the last be 
first, and the first, last; for many are called, but few 
chosen." 

Q. What of this householder, his vineyard, and the 
wages ? 

A. In the householder we recognize God; in the 
vineyard the Fathers recognize the Church of Jesus 
Christ; and in the wages they see the glories of 
paradise promised as a reward to all those who have 
worked in the divine service, that is, in the profes- 
sion and practice of the gospel. 

Q. How do you explain the parable? 

A. It can be explained in two ways. It may be 
applied to men in general or to each Christian in 
particular. 

Q. How is it applied to all in general? 

A. The early morning signifies the time from 
Adam to Noe; the third hour represents the -time 
from Abraham to Moses; the ninth hour the time 
from Moses to Christ; the eleventh hour the time 
from Christ to the end of the world ; and the evening 
is the great day of judgment. 

Q. If it be thus, how is it explained? 

A. From the beginning of the world, that is, the 
morning, the third, sixth, and ninth hours, God, by 
the voice and example of the patriarchs, by the 
5 



66 



SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



written law, and by the words of the prophets, called 
men, particularly the Hebrews, to believe in Christ 
and hope for His coming, and to unite themselves to 
Him by holiness of life. At the eleventh hour, by the 
preaching of Christ and of His apostles and their 
successors, God has called, calls, and will continue to 
call men to enter into the Catholic Church and become 
living members of the mystical body of Jesus Christ 
and to serve Him faithfully by observing His holy 
laws. In the evening, that is, on the day of judg- 
ment, all those who will have belonged to the Church 
of Christ, who will have entered the Church — the 
vineyard — in the early morning, at the third, sixth, 
ninth, or eleventh hour, will receive without distinc- 
tion, in reward of their labors, eternal life and the 
glory of Paradise. 

Q. How is the parable applied to each Christian 
in particular? 

A. The early morning is childhood ; the third hour, 
youth ; the sixth hour, manhood ; the ninth hour, old 
age ; the eleventh hour, the last days of life, the last 
sickness. By baptism, by the first development of 
reason, and by Christian instruction, we are called to 
work in the evangelical vineyard by faith and holiness 
of life. Many are called in youth, many in manhood, 
many in old age, and many at the end of life, after 
having gone in the way of sin and wandered in every 
field of iniquity. All those who have served God will 
receive as a reward the glories of paradise. 

Q. But what service can we give God at the last 
hour? 

A. A sincere repentance, an act of perfect charity, 
a lively desire, a firm purpose of serving faithfully if 



SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



6? 



life be prolonged, will be accepted by a merciful God 
as service sufficient to merit eternal reward in the 
land of the living". It was in this way that the peni- 
tent thief heard the answer to his prayer: This day 
thou shalt be with Me in paradise. 

Q. Can we then delay to work for God till the last 
hour? 

A. No. To do this would be foolish and impious. 
God has no need of us, no obligation to callus. He 
may call us to-day ; He may not call us to-morrow ; 
and he who answers not His voice one day exposes 
himself to being rejected another day. 

Q. Were the complaints of those laborers who 
worked all day reasonable? 

A. No. If the householder wished to give to the 
last comers for the work of one hour as much as he 
had contracted to give to those who had worked all 
day, he was free to do so, because in so doing he 
did not diminish the wages due to them. He was 
just to them, while he was generous to the late 
comers. 

Q. Are all then equally rewarded by God — those 
who are converted in their old age, or in their last 
hour, as those who have served God all their lives ? 

A. We cannot say so. God rewards generously as 
well those who are converted late as those who 
labored from the first hour, but we must consider that 
the service in the vineyard of the Lord is not meas- 
ured solely by duration of time, but also by fervor, 
fidelity, right intention, and, above all, by the inten- 
sity of the love with which it is done. On this 
account a true penitent can surpass in a short time 
those who have been more or less inconstant and 



68 



SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



tepid during- their whole life. Observe also that in 
heaven there are different crowns, and that while all 
enjoy the happiness of paradise, those who have 
'served with greater merit are rewarded by God with 
a greater degree of glory. 

Q. What is meant by the words : " The first shall 
be last and the last shall be first "? 

A. The Jews were first called to enter the Church 
of Christ, but on account of their obstinacy they were 
excluded and are the last. The Gentiles, on the other 
hand, were the last called to the faith, but were the 
first to embrace it and enter the Church of Jesus 
Christ. We who are called to serve God from our 
infancy should be careful not to be the last in our old 
age. 

Q. How do you explain these words : " Many are 
called, but few are chosen "? 

A. Because there are many who by virtue of bap- 
tism enter into the vineyard to labor and gain eternal 
reward, but there are few who observe faithfully 
the holy law and who serve God with perseverance 
until death. Only the innocent and the truly penitent 
who have persevered to the last will be chosen. We 
must remember that without the grace of God we can 
do nothing toward our own salvation. Let us live 
in fear and humility; trust ourselves to the divine 
mercy ; pray in the name of Jesus, and the terrible 
sentence will have no reference to us. 



SEX AGESIMA SUNDAY. 



69 



SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
Gospel : St. Luke viii. 4-15. 

AT that time: "When a very great multitude was 
gathered together, and hastened out of the cities 
unto Him, He spoke by a similitude: A sower went out 
to sow his seed: and, as he sowed, some fell by the way- 
side and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air de- 
voured it. And other some fell upon a rock : and as soon 
as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no 
moisture. And other some fell among thorns, and the 
thorns growing up with it, choked it. And other some 
fell upon good ground, and sprung up and yielded fruit 
a hundred-fold. Saying these things He cried out: He 
that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And His disci- 
ples asked Him what this parable might be. To whom 
He said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the 
kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables: that seeing 
they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. 
Now this parable is this : The seed is the word of God. 
And they by the wayside are they that hear: then the 
devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their heart, lest 
believing they should be saved. Now they upon the rock 
are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy: 
and these have no roots, who believe for a while, and in 
time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among 
thorns are they who have heard, and going their way, are 
choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this 
life, and yield no fruit. But that on the good ground are 
they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, 
keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience." 

Q. What did Our Lord wish to teach by this 
parable ? 



7 o 



SEXAGESIM A SUNDAY. 



A. He wished to say that of all those who came to 
see and hear Him comparatively few would profit by 
His divine teaching. 

Q. What did He mean when He said, " He that hath 
ears to hear, let him hear"? 

A. To believe in Jesus Christ, to hear His words 
and understand the significance of His wonderful 
works, the divine gift of grace is first of all neces- 
sary. Even St. Peter could not have recognized in 
Him the Son of the living God if it had not been 
revealed to him. Besides the divine grace there is 
also necessary a docile heart, a sincere mind, and an 
ardent desire to be enlightened in the things neces- 
sary for gaining eternal life. Now, among the multi- 
tude that collected about Our Lord to hear His words 
and witness His miracles there were but few who had 
these necessary conditions; there were, on the con- 
trary, many who opposed Him and refused to yield to 
the many proofs He continually gave of His mission 
and His divine nature. When therefore He said, He 
that hath ears to hear, let him hear, He meant to 
say: He who is faithful to the grace he receives, and 
hears Me with a sincere mind and upright heart, will 
understand the meaning of My parables and the salu- 
tary significance of My words. 

Q. How, then, could He say that He spoke in para- 
bles that they might not understand Him? 

A. In reading St. Matthew these words are easily 
understood : they mean that in thus speaking Jesus 
Christ wished to say, not indeed that He spoke in 
parables that they might not understand Him, but 
that many, because of their bad motives and blind 
passions, saw the wonders worked by Him and heard 



SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



71 



His words, but did not understand the meaning of 
His teaching. Observe that the merit of the Chris- 
tian depends on faith ; that in view of this fact Christ 
does not force the intellect by a powerful conviction, 
but only submits to it abundant motives to win our 
meritorious belief ; and that all those who permitted 
themselves to be led by the spirit of God, who yielded 
to divine grace, heard Him willingly and believed 
His words, while those who permitted themselves to 
be led by the spirit of Satan rejected them. Jesus, 
then, did not speak in parables that He might not be 
understood; but rather the Jews, blinded by their 
passions, did not wish, and did not deserve, to under- 
stand the evidence of His miracles or the meaning of 
His words. 

Q. What is meant by the seed, and who was the 
sower? 

A. The seed is the word of God, the teachings of 
the gospel, and the sower is Jesus Christ, Who once 
in person sowed this seed of holiness, and Who con- 
tinues to sow it to the end of time by means of His 
ministers, who are charged with the office of His 
eternal priesthood. 

Q. What is meant by the road, the rock, the thorns, 
and the good ground? 

A. All these signify different kinds of Christians, 
who, with different dispositions, hear the divine word 
with greater or less or no benefit. 

Q. What does the seed signify which fell by the 
wayside ? 

A. It signifies the word of God preached to those 
who leave their hearts open and free to vice, and are 
therefore always yielding to temptation. Through 



72 



SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



custom, curiosity, or accident they hear the voice of 
the minister of God. But the vices which rule in 
their hearts, like travellers who come and go, tread 
on and render ineffectual the great truths which are 
announced to them ; and if these truths sometimes 
make impressions, the constant temptations to which 
hearers of this kind are subject soon obliterate them; 
or as the seed on the wayside is destroyed by the 
birds, in like manner the remembrance of the divine 
word received from the lips of the minister of God is 
plucked from their hearts by the emissaries of Satan. 

Q. What of the seed that fell on the rocks? 

A. This seed is the word of God heard by Christians, 
or rather sinners, who try to serve two masters. They 
hear the word of God and, touched by it, recognize 
their evil ways and spiritual disorders and make reso- 
lutions of amendment, but on a new occasion, at the 
first impulse of their favorite passions, they abandon 
their good resolutions and return to their former sins. 
The divine word would take root and grow in them 
if it had a foundation in charity, but as these hearers 
have not a solid and sincere love of God, the seed of 
the divine word is withered by the heat and fire of 
their passions. 

Q. What of the seed that fell among thorns? 

A. Thorns generally grow on sterile ground. This 
ground, if carefully cultivated, would be more or less 
fruitful. The seed fallen among thorns is soon suffo- 
cated by them. This takes place when the word of 
God is heard by a person who nourishes in his heart 
a mixture of good and evil. Let us say, for example, 
a man who is assiduous in his religious duties, not 
disordered by bad habits, but in matters of interest 



SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



73 



to himself vicious and avaricious ; or a woman atten- 
tive to her duties, loving prayer, charitable to others, 
but ambitious, given to the fashions, fond of dress 
and show. The first lets the word of God increase 
in his heart as long as it does not go contrary to his 
interests ; but finally an unjust gain, or a disregard of 
the rights of others, destroys every good germ. The 
second, on the occasion of a passion, a ball, or a too 
free conversation, forgets God and permits to be 
suffocated the seed which for a time grew in her 
heart. Christians of this kind, infected with thorns, 
are the most numerous in the world. 

Q. And what of the seed that fell upon good 
ground ? 

A. By good ground, says St. Thomas, is meant the 
good conscience and true heart of the just man. This 
man, willingly, with devotion, docility, and a desire 
to profit by it, hears the divine word. He keeps it 
in his memory, meditates on it, and at the proper 
time recalls it in order to avoid sin, to exercise him- 
self in virtue, and to gain merit, and in this way 
makes it flourish and abound. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 

A. First of all, we should try to learn to which of 
these four classes of Christians we belong ; whether to 
those indicated by the wayside, the rocks, the thorns, 
or the good ground, and when we discover our de- 
fects we should pray God to grant us the necessary 
grace and help to amend our lives. 

Q. What should we do besides? 

A. We should try to make our hearts the good 
ground, that the seed of the divine word may flourish 
and bear fruit. To do this we should be anxious to 



74 



QU1NQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



hear the word of God as frequently as possible, and 
to hear it not merely through custom or curiosity, 
but from a sincere desire to be enlightened, corrected, 
improved, and sanctified. For this reason we should 
hear the voice of the priest with humility, faith, 
devotion, and attention. And after having heard the 
divine word we should make it a duty to meditate on 
it, to obey it, and to render to God the fruit of good 
works, laboring with a good will for Him, and perse- 
vering in good to the end, that is, the harvest time. 



QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 
Gospel : St. Luke xviii. 31-43. 

AT that time: "Jesus took unto Him the twelve and 
said to them : Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and all 
things shall be accomplished which were written by the 
prophets concerning the Son of man. For He shall be 
delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and 
scourged, and spit upon. And after they have scourged 
Him, they will put Him to death and the third day He 
shall rise again. And they understood none of these 
things, and this word was hid from them, and they un- 
derstood not the things that were said. Now it came to 
pass when He drew nigh to Jericho, a certain blind man 
sat by the wayside, begging. And when he heard the 
multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. And 
they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 
And he cried out, saying: Jesus, Son of David, have 
mercy on me. And they that went before rebuked him, 
that he should hold his peace. But he cried out much 
more: Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus 
standing commanded him to be brought unto Him. And 
when he was come near, He asked him, saying: What 



QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



75 



wilt thou that I do to thee? But he said: Lord, that I 
may see. And Jesus said to him: Receive thy sight: 
thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he 
saw, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the 
people, when they saw it, gave praise to God." 

Q. Under what circumstances did Our Lord say 
these things to His apostles? 

A. He said them w T hen He was about departing 
from the city of Ephrem, where, after calling Lazarus 
back to life, and wishing to escape the envy of the 
Pharisees, He went for the last time to Jerusalem to 
suffer the full bitterness of His Passion. 

Q. If He foresaw the cruel death that -\ waited Him 
there, why did He go? 

A. He went there because it was the will of His 
Eternal Father, because this was the object of His 
mission on earth, and because it was the desire of 
His heart to sacrifice His life for the salvation of 
mankind. 

Q. Why did He foretell to the apostles the sufferings 
He was to undergo in Jerusalem? 

A. That they might know that He was truly the 
Son of God, as God alone could know future events 
depending on free causes. He also foretold them 
that the apostles might know that if He went to sub- 
mit to suffering and death He did so of His own free 
will, and that they might not be scandalized by His 
humiliations, and not waver in their faith. And 
lastly, He foretold these things that they might learn 
of Him to bear courageously the sufferings and the 
martyrdom which they were to undergo. 

Q. What are we to learn from this? 

A. To strengthen ourselves always the more in 



76 



QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 



our faith by understanding that Jesus Christ is true 
God, and that He suffered death because He willed 
to do so out of love for us ; and that we might learn 
from Him to meet courageously the tribulations and 
crosses which Divine Providence, always just and 
kind, had prepared for us. 

Q. The blind man he met and cured on the way, of 
what was he a figure? 

A. According to St. Gregory he was a figure of two 
things. In general, he represented the whole human 
race; in particular, he was a figure of those Chris- 
tians who, blinded by the things of this world, do 
not see the value of heavenly things. 

Q. How was he a figure of the whole human 
race? 

A. Consider attentively this blind man. He was 
outside the city ; he did not see the rags that covered 
him ; he did not see the dangers about him ; he was 
helpless and depended entirely on the assistance of 
those he met on the road. Such is the human 
race. Through the sin of Adam it was placed 
outside the way of Paradise; blinded in intellect, 
it sees not its own misery, nor the light of truth, 
nor the gulf open before it by ignorance, passion, and 
its own fallen nature ; incapable of repairing its mis- 
fortunes by its own power, it could only hope for 
salvation from the Eternal Word, Who, coming upon 
earth clothed in our flesh, should redeem it, by His 
infinite merits and by the power of His grace, from 
its great calamity, and enable it to see God, to see 
itself, and to see all things necessary to salvation. 

Q. How did the blind man represent those Chris- 
tians who are blinded by the things of this world? 



QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY. 77 

A. He saw neither the magnificence of his coun- 
try, nor the road that leads to it, nor the face of any 
one from whom he could ask assistance. It is the 
same with Christians who are blinded by the things of 
this world. They find themselves in the bosom of 
the Church, but see not its beauties ; they are on the 
road to heaven, but cannot advance one step; they 
wish for happiness, but know not the vanity, the im- 
potence, the nothingness of riches, honors, and power, 
from which they hope for it in vain. 

Q. What are we to learn from this blind man? 

A. We should learn never to let a favorable oppor- 
tunity pass nor delay a single moment to implore the 
healing of our souls whenever God passes with His 
grace ; we should learn to make ourselves heard by 
prayer, internal aspirations, and by the voice of the 
priest. 

Q. The blind man cried out with a loud voice. 
What is the lesson of this ? 

A. We should learn that when it is a question of 
salvation we should pay no regard to human respect 
nor the dissuasions of bad companions, nor to what 
the world may say, nor to the voice of the passions, 
nor to anything whatever. The greater the obstacles 
the greater should be our ardor to pray and invoke 
the divine assistance. 

Q. But was not this blind man somewhat bold ? 

A. In appealing to Christ the Son of David He 
gave signs of great faith, because He thus confessed 
Him to be the expected Messias, capable of curing 
him if He so willed ; and by appealing to His pity and 
showing his great desire he gave proof of his confi- 
dence that the Lord by His omnipotence could, and 



7« 



FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. 



by His charity would, heal Him. We learn from 
this miracle to confide in the divine mercy, and know 
that, however great our spiritual blindness, God will 
give us grace if we ask it with confidence. 

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. 
Gospel: St. Matthew iv. i-ii. 

AT that time: "Jesus was led by the spirit into the 
desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when He 
had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was 
hungry. And the tempter coming said to Him: If thou 
be the Son of God, command that these stones be made 
bread. Who answered and said: It is written: Not in 
bread alone doth man live, but in every word that pro- 
ceedeth from the mouth of God. Then the devil took 
Him up into the holy city and set Him upon the pinnacle 
of the temple, and said to Him : If thou be the Son of God, 
cast Thyself down, for it is written : That He hath given 
His angels charge over Thee, and in their hands shall they 
bear Thee up, lest perhaps Thou dash Thy foot against 
a stone. Jesus said to him: It is written again: Thou 
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil took 
Him up into a very high mountain: and showed Him all 
the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and 
said to Him : All these will I give Thee, if falling down 
Thou wilt adore me. Then Jesus saith to him : Begone, 
Satan, for it is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou 
adore, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil 
left Him: and behold, angels came and ministered to 
Him." 

Q. When did these events take place? 
A. They took place before Jesus began His public 
life, and immediately after He had been baptized by 



FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. 



79 



John the Baptist, when the voice of His heavenly 
Father was heard saying, " This is My beloved Son, 
in Whom I am well pleased." 

Q. What spirit led Christ into the desert? 

A. It was the Holy Ghost, the same Spirit Who 
descended upon Him in the form of a dove ; it was 
that Holy Ghost Who inspires Christians to be faith- 
ful to the grace of baptism, to flee the world, to seek 
solitude, if not of the body, at least of the heart, to do 
penance, and to find happiness in prayer and in com- 
munion with God. 

Q. But why did the Spirit lead Him into the desert 
where He was to be tempted? 

A. The Holy Ghost Who led Christ had not His 
temptation in view, but His victory. The divine 
Redeemer had come to repair the disgrace and igno- 
miny of the human race, and it was necessary that 
the evil spirit, who had overcome mankind in the 
person of Adam, should himself be vanquished by 
man in the person of Jesus Christ. It was therefore 
proper, says St. Gregory, that the divine Word made 
flesh should go to attack our enemy, and, fighting 
as one of us, triumph for us, and by overcoming the 
tempter secure to us the victory. 

Q. Had Christ any other object in exposing Him- 
self to the assaults of the enemy? 

A. He had. In permitting the evil spirit to assail 
Him He would teach His followers not to lose courage 
when assailed by temptations, for as long as they do 
not yield to them they do not defile the soul, but are 
an occasion of glory and reward to brave soldiers. He 
also wished to teach us how to overcome the devil. 
He wished, as St. Augustine says, to render our vie- 



So 



FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. 



tories easy for us by His own victory. He wished to 
teach that all who consecrate themselves to Him, and 
especially those who are called to do great things in 
the Church, should be always ready to meet tempta- 
tions, for by suffering temptations they learn how to 
overcome them, and are able to teach others. By 
overcoming temptations we advance in virtue and 
gain greater graces and rewards. 

Q. What did Christ merit for us by His long fast? 

A. By His fast He sanctified our fasts, mortifica- 
tions, and abstinences when we practise them in a 
true spirit of penance. His example renders easy for 
us those sufferings by which we conquer the rebellion 
of the flesh. Lastly, by His fast He instituted and 
blessed that fast of forty days which the Church has 
always observed as an apostolic tradition. 

Q. What should we learn from Christ's first an- 
swer to the devil ? 

A. Satan, taking occasion of Christ's hunger, 
tempted Him to change stones into bread. Christ 
answered that man lives not by bread alone, but by 
every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. 
This answer teaches us to put our confidence in God 
in all our necessities. He will provide for all our 
wants. How many anxieties and sins we would avoid 
if in our troubles we would put our confidence in 
God! Let us, then, live the life of the just; let us 
abandon ourselves without reserve to the mercy of 
our heavenly Father, and remember that a just man 
has never been forsaken by God. 

Q. What are we to learn from the answer to the 
second temptation? 

A. That we should never tempt God. Christ could 



FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. 



Si 



have come down from the pinnacle of the temple by 
the ordinary way, and it was tempting God to expect 
Him to work an unnecessary miracle to preserve Him 
if He had cast Himself down from that height, as the 
devil tempted Him to do. Thus also do we tempt 
God when we ask for miracles in confirmation of our 
religion, as faith is sufficient for us. We also tempt 
God when we ask to be cured of sickness by a miracle 
when we can be cured by proper medicines. We 
tempt God when we expect Him to preserve us from 
sin while we place ourselves unnecessarily in the 
proximate occasion of sin. 

Q. What does Christ teach us by His answer to the 
last temptation ? 

A. He teaches us that we should not for all the 
world give to creatures the honor which belongs to 
God alone. The devil promised Christ all the king- 
doms of the earth if falling down He would adore him, 
and Christ by putting him to flight taught us that we 
must renounce all things rather than fail to honor 
God. How often does the devil repeat this tempta- 
tion by representing to us the temporal advantages to 
be gained by failing in our duty to God and by prom- 
ising us the friendship and protection of the great and 
powerful of the world! Let us learn from Jesus 
that, come what may, we must never be disobedient 
or wanting in respect to the awful majesty of the 
Lord. 

Q. Is there anything more to be said regarding the 
nature of the temptations mentioned in this Gospel? 

A. We may observe that Christ, by overcoming 
them, has vanquished in their very foundations all 
the temptations that can possibly assail man. If we 
6 



82 



FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. 



will but reflect we will see that temptations always 
arise from love of the flesh, from love of honors, or 
from love of the things of this world, riches. Now 
Christ, by refusing to change stones into bread to sat- 
isfy His hunger, overcame love of the flesh. By re- 
fusing to cast Himself down from the summit of the 
temple in order that the angels might bear Him up, 
and thus glorify Himself, He conquered love of 
honors. And by refusing all the kingdoms of the 
earth, he conquered love of worldly possessions. 
Thus He overcame in their very origin the principal 
passions that wage a continual war against us. And 
by the merits of His victory He has enabled us to meet 
by the grace of God those temptations which may 
come upon us. 

Q. What are we to understand by those angels 
who came to serve Jesus? 

A. By them we are to understand the way God 
treats those who, in the hour of temptation make 
good use of His grace and remain faithful to Him. 
He ordinarily gives peace and joy to those who have 
fought the good fight and resisted temptation. Joseph 
remained faithful when tempted, and was put into 
prison, but afterward the throne of Egypt was his 
reward. Susanna remained faithful, and suffered 
the agonies of death ; but Daniel made her innocence 
known to all. The three children of Babylon remained 
faithful, and an angel rescued them from the fier)r 
furnace. Let us remain faithful in the time of tempta- 
tion, and the peace, happiness, and blessings we shall 
enjoy will be so many invisible angels which the 
Lord will send to comfort and console us after the 
battle is over. 



SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. 



83 



Q. What lesson should we draw from this Gospel? 

A. We should learn to love and practise mortifica- 
tion and penance, and not to lose courage when 
strongly tempted. We should repel the suggestions 
of the devil with the maxims and precepts of the 
gospel, and look to God for the reward of having 
suffered and endured for His glory. 

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. 
Gospel : St. Matthew xvii. 1-9. 

AT that time : " Jesus taketh unto Him Peter and James, 
and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a 
high mountain apart: and He was transfigured before 
them. And His face did shine as the sun: and His gar- 
ments became white as snow. And behold there appeared 
to them Moses and Elias talking with Him. And Peter 
answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be 
here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, 
one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And 
as He was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshaded 
them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud saying: This is 
My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased: hear ye 
Him. And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, 
and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched 
them, and said to them : Arise, and fear not. And they, 
lifting up their eyes, saw no one, but only Jesus. And as 
they came down from the mountain Jesus charged them, 
saying: Tell the vision to no man till the Son of man be 
risen from the dead." 

Q. On what mountain did this wonderful event 
take place? 

A. It is generally believed that it took place on 
Mount Thabor, which is near the town of Nazareth, 



84 



SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. 



in the tribe of Zabulon between the Mediterranean 
Sea and the Lake of Genesareth. From its summit 
one can see almost the whole of Palestine: to the 
east the River Jordan and the country beyond ; to the 
south, the tribes of Issachar and Manasses; to the 
west, the Mediterranean Sea; and to the north, a 
sweep of land reaching to the mountains of Lebanon. 

Q. Why did Christ wish His transfiguration to take 
place on a mountain and in the presence of His three 
apostles ? 

A. He wished it to take place on a mountain, and in 
a solitary place, to give us to understand that divine 
favors are reserved for those who, by their virtues, 
raise themselves above all things earthly, who retire 
into solitude and flee from the distractions and cares 
of the world. Now St. Peter represents those who 
are steadfast in their faith, St. James those who con- 
trol their passions, St. John the chaste and pure. 
Hence Jesus selected them to enjoy so great a privi- 
lege in order that we might hope to receive His 
special favors if we are firm in our faith like St. 
Peter, if we overcome our passions like St. James, 
and if we are pure in mind and body like St. John. 

Q. Why did Christ manifest Himself in His glory 
to these apostles? 

A. He did so for several reasons. First, by giving 
them a manifestation of the glory which was His own 
and which was not lost or diminished, but only hidden 
by the veil of humanity, He gave them a visible proof 
of His divinity. Moreover, He did so to strengthen 
them and sustain their faith when they would later on 
see Him in humiliation and suffering. Lastly, He 
was transfigured before them to encourage them and 



SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. 



85 



all future Christians to suffer voluntarily the trials of 
the apostleship and observe the law, by permitting 
them to see a glimpse of that consolation which they 
will enjoy in the vision of God, which is the reward 
of all that love and obey Him here on earth. 

Q. What did Christ do to thus transform Him- 
self? 

A. He permitted a ray of His divinity to manifest 
itself from His body, and this was sufficient to 
cause Him to appear to the eyes of the apostles as 
luminous as the sun and His garments as white as 
snow. Imagine the effect when the sun descends 
beyond a mountain whose summit is capped with 
snow. The crest of the mountain is covered with a 
border of light which dazzles and charms, and you 
perceive that as the rays of the sun pass over the 
snow they impart to it their light and thus reveal 
colors so various and charming to see. In like man- 
ner the light of the divinity illuminated the body and 
garments of Jesus Christ. 

Q. Why did He cause Moses and Elias to appear 
instead of other renowned persons ? 

A. Moses was the promulgator of the law which 
God gave him on Mount Sinai, and Elias was consid- 
ered by all as the prince of the prophets. The 
Mosaic law prepared the way for the promised Mes- 
sias, and all the sacrifices prescribed by it were but 
figures of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. All the pre- 
dictions of the prophets pointed to Jesus Christ. In 
view of these facts you can easily see that Our Lord 
caused Moses and Elias, and not others, to appear 
on either side of Him in order that the apostles, and 
all believers with them, could see how the figures 



86 



SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. 



of the law and the predictions of the prophets were 
to be realized in Him, and that while He was pleased 
to manifest His glory He called to do Him homage 
those who by the law and by the prophecies had pre- 
pared the way for Him. 

Q. What is to be said of St. Peter, who wished to 
remain, on the mountain enjoying that vision? 

A. The magnificence of the vision, the joy of soul, 
and satisfaction of heart had affected him to such a 
degree that, forgetting that he was a man subject to 
death, and desiring nothing more, he thought it good 
to remain there forever. But if a single ray of the 
glory of Christ could cause such profound emotions 
in St. Peter, what will our joy be when at the resur- 
rection we shall arise immortal and see Him in the 
fulness of His majesty, sitting on the right hand of 
His Father amid the splendor of the saints ? 

Q. What was the bright cloud? 

A. Let us not lose time inquiring what it was, but 
rather consider what it signified. Interpreters agree 
that in this, as in the baptism of Christ, the Blessed 
Trinity manifested Itself. The Eternal Father spoke, 
the Divine Word was present in the person of Christ, 
and the Holy Ghost appeared in the semblance of a 
bright cloud, as He appeared in the form of a dove at 
the baptism of Christ. In seeing this cloud that en- 
vironed Christ, Moses, Elias, the apostles, and the 
mountain, let us remember that Holy Spirit Who 
moved the lips of the prophets, Who made the law 
fruitful, Who crowned the great work of redemption, 
Who transformed the apostles, and Who animates, 
governs, and sanctifies the whole Church of Jesus 
Christ. 



SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. 



87 



Q. Whose voice was it that issued from the cloud, 
and what was the import of the words? 

A. The voice was that of the Eternal Father, for 
He alone could say : " This is My beloved Son in 
Whom 1 am well pleased, hear ye Him." St. Leo the 
Great says that by these words the Eternal Father 
wished to proclaim to the whole world, This is My be- 
loved Son, not adopted, but My own, not created, but 
generated; this is My Son, by Whom all things were 
made, in Him I am well pleased, Whose words bear 
witness of Me, Whose humility glorifies Me. Hear ye 
Him because He is the Truth and the Way. He is 
My wisdom, He Who was foretold by the prophets 
and Who redeemed the world by His blood. . He 
opens the way to heaven and by His cross gives us 
the means to enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
How unfortunate we shall be if we do not listen to 
this, the only Teacher of truth and of life everlasting! 

Q. What is to be said of the fear which possessed 
the apostles? 

A. It was quite natural that the apostles should 
have been awed by the unexpected voice of God, and 
we should in no way be surprised at it. We have 
reason, however, to be astonished that so many Chris- 
tians are not frightened at hearing the menaces of 
the same God against those who follow not the teach- 
ing and the law of Jesus Christ. 

Q. Why did Our Redeemer forbid the apostles to 
speak of what they had seen until after His resur- 
rection ? 

A. St. Jerome says that this event was so great 
and wonderful that none would have believed it if 
the apostles had told them of it, and the ignorant 



88 



THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT. 



especially would have been greatly scandalized at 
seeing Him so utterly humiliated in the time of His 
Passion after having manifested such great power and 
glory. The proper time to publish so wonderful an 
event was after the Resurrection, for then those who 
saw Him raised from the dead could have no difficulty 
in acknowledging Him to be the true God, and able 
to transfigure Himself as He did on Mount Thabor. 
Besides, to witness that glorious vision, was a special 
privilege granted to the three apostles alone, and 
Christ forbade them to speak of it that they might 
learn to hide from others the special favors they had 
received, in order not to expose themselves to vain- 
glory and perhaps to the envy of others. From this 
we should learn to conceal the secret consolations 
and graces which the Lord is pleased to grant us. 
When God grants us favors let us be thankful for 
them and correspond with them, but let us keep all 
in the inmost recesses of our hearts. 



THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT. 
Gospel: St. Luke xi. 14-28. 

AT that time: "Jesus was casting out a devil, and the 
same was dumb. And when He had cast out the 
devil the dumb spoke: and the multitudes were in ad- 
miration at it. But some of them said: He casteth out 
devils by Beelzebub, the prince of devils. And others 
tempting asked of Him a sign from heaven. But He 
seeing their thoughts said to them: Every kingdom 
divided against itself shall be brought to desolation, and 
house upon a house shall fall. And if Satan also be 
divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? 
because you say that through Beelzebub I cast out devils. 



THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT. 



g 9 



Now if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by whom do your 
children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your 
judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out devils, 
doubtless the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a 
strong man armed keepeth his court, those things are in 
peace which he possesseth. But if a stronger than he come 
upon him and overcome him, he will take away all his 
armor wherein he trusted, and will distribute his spoils. 
He that is not with Me is against Me : and he that gathered 
not with Me, scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone 
out of a man he walketh through places without water, 
seeking rest: and not finding-, he saith: I will return into 
my house whence I came out. And when he is come he 
findeth it swept and garnished. Then he goeth and taketh 
with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, 
and entering in they dwell there. And the last state of 
that man becometh worse than the first. And it came to 
pass as He spoke these things, a certain woman from the 
crowd lifting up her voice said to Him: Blessed is the 
womb that bore Thee and the paps that gave thee suck. 
But He said: Yea, rather, blessed are they who hear the 
word of God and keep it." 

Q. What is to be said of this dumb man possessed 
by the devil? 

A. From the context of the other Gospels we learn 
that this unfortunate man was not only dumb but 
also blind, and that his condition was not the result of 
sickness but the work of the devil by whom he was 
possessed. St. Jerome, speaking of this man's recov- 
ery, says that three miracles were worked in him. 
The blind was made to see, the dumb to speak, and 
the possessed delivered from the power of the devil. 

Q. Of whom is this dumb man a figure? 
A. He is a figure of the human race, which, being a 
victim of the demon, like a blind man cannot see its 



9 o 



THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT. 



own misery nor the infamy of its morals, nor the light 
of truth, nor its duties, nor God. And like a dumb 
man, it cannot utter a word in praise of the divine 
majesty, nor a word in behalf of its own welfare. In 
a more particular sense, the dumb man was a figure 
of those sinners who, blinded by their passions, can- 
not see things pertaining to God or to their own souls, 
and being mute in matters of religion, they open not 
their lips to confess their sins, to praise God, or to 
implore His mercy. Let us pray God that He may 
not permit us to become blind and dumb like so many 
unfortunate brethren. 

Q. What are we to think of those who said that 
Christ healed the dumb man by the power of the 
devil? 

A. We must not be astonished at this. They were 
always influenced by envy and hatred, and saw nothing 
but evil in the most innocent and holy actions. Let 
us bring the matter home to ourselves and consider 
how we judge our neighbors. If we find that we are 
inclined to interpret their actions in a good sense 
let us rejoice, for it is a sign that we have Christian 
charity in our hearts. But if we discover in us a 
disposition to find fault with our neighbors' actions, 
or to attribute bad motives to them, we may know that 
it is hatred and envy that inspire us, and we should 
pray God to free us from such inspirations. 

Q. How did Christ refute their calumny? 

A. By the words related in the Gospel Christ 
proved that it was impossible for the demon to con- 
tend against himself; that he could not be put to 
flight except by the power of God, and that if He, 
Christ, could cast out devils, then the time foretold 



THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT. 



9i 



by the prophets had come — the time when God 
would reign in men's hearts by His grace. 

Q. Who is that strong man in armor who guards 
his house in peace? 

A. This strong man is the devil, who had made 
himself master of the world by keeping almost the 
whole human race in bondage through errors of the 
mind and the power of the passions. As long as he 
could keep alive superstition, idolatry, and licentious- 
ness among men he enjoyed in peace his tyrannical 
power over them, and they served him and plunged 
into the mire of corruption, without even knowing the 
misery and infamy of their condition, and without 
the desire to escape from it. 

Q. And who is the stronger man who comes to take 
away his armor? 

A. It is Jesus Christ, Who by His doctrine, exam- 
ple, passion, merits, and grace disarms the devil and 
overcomes him, destroys his kingdom, encourages 
us, dissipates the darkness of ignorance, banishes 
idolatry, and makes children of God those who be- 
fore had been the slaves of sin and victims of per- 
dition. 

Q. What did Christ mean by adding: "He that is 
not with Me is against Me, He that gathereth not 
with Me scattereth " ? 

A. By these words He gave the Jews to under- 
stand that He did not cast out devils by the power of 
the devil, as they thought, for it is impossible that 
those can be in harmony who follow opposite ways 
and have opposite ends in view. In fact, says St. 
Jerome, the devil wants men to be the slaves of their 
. passions, and Jesus wants them to control and over- 



9 2 



THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT. 



come their passions. The devil teaches idolatry, and 
Jesus proclaims the knowledge of the one only true 
God. The devil entices men to sin, and Jesus exhorts 
them to practise virtue and to be just. How, then, 
can those agree whose purposes are so opposite ? 

Q. Is there, then, nothing in those words for us? 

A. There is a great deal. By those words Jesus 
declares as enemies all those who do not think as 
He does and who do not agree with Him in every act. 
He was zealous for the glory of His Father, and in 
all His words, actions, and sufferings sought nothing 
but that glory. They, therefore, who combat His 
doctrines, who are indifferent in matters of religion, 
who work for selfish motives or to gratify their pas- 
sions, are His enemies and against Him. He who 
does not work in the spirit of Christ, with His motives, 
and in His company, gains nothing, loses all, and is 
against Him. 

Q. Who is that impure spirit who leaves a house 
and wanders through desert places and finds not rest? 

A. It is the demon, who, driven by virtue of pen- 
ance from the soul of the converted sinner, feels tor- 
mented by the desire to return and take possession 
again, and. for this purpose redoubles His temptation, 
and his rabid desire to regain control of the soul leaves 
him no peace. Let the repentant sinner be on his 
guard and never cease to pray for the grace of perse- 
verance. Let him remember that the devil knows 
well his weak points, and will not cease to attack 
him there. 

Q. What means his return with seven devils worse 
than himself? 

A. It means that when the sinner, who by God's 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT. 



93 



grace has been converted and reconciled with his 
Maker, falls back into sin, his last state is worse than 
the first; and as relapse in diseases of the body is 
more dangerous and more difficult to cure than the 
original disease, so is the relapse of the soul more 
fatal and difficult to heal. 

Q. And the woman who cried out: " Blessed is the 
womb that bore thee," of whom was she a figure? 

A. She was a figure of the Church, who so highly 
and justly praises the Blessed Virgin, who bore and 
nurtured the divine Redeemer, the cause of our salva- 
tion. We should enter into the spirit of the Church 
and bless the Mother of God, and have recourse to her 
with childlike confidence. 

Q. And what does the answer of Jesus signify? 

A. The answer implies that, though great was the 
happiness of the Blessed Virgin in having given 
birth to the Redeemer, yet the happiness of those is 
also very great who hear the word of God and put it 
in practice, for by so doing they conceive in their 
heart, in a spiritual manner, that Fountain and Source 
of all good Which the Mother of God bore in her 
chaste womb. 



ii which is that of Tiberias : and a great multitude fol- 
lowed Him, because they saw the miracles which He did 
on them that were diseased. Jesus therefore went up into 
a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now 
the Pasch, the festival day of the Jews, was near at hand. 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT. 



Gospel : St. John vi. 1-15. 




went over the Sea of Galilee, 



94 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT. 



When Jesus therefore had lifted up His eyes, and seen that 
a very great multitude cometh to Him, He said to Philip: 
Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And 
this He said to try him, for He Himself knew what He 
would do. Philip answered Him : Two hundred penny- 
worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one 
may take a little. One of His disciples, Andrew, the 
brother of Simon Peter, saith to Him : There is a boy here 
that hath five barley loaves and two fishes: but what are 
these among so many? Then Jesus said: Make the men 
sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. The 
men therefore sat down, in number about five thousand. 
And Jesus took the loaves and when He had given thanks, 
He distributed to them that were sat down : in like man- 
ner also of the fishes as much as they would. And when 
they were filled, He said to His disciples: Gather up the 
fragments that remain, lest they be lost. They gathered 
up therefore, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments 
of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above 
to them that had eaten. Now those men, when they had 
seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said: This is of a 
truth the Prophet that is to come into the world. Jesus 
therefore, when He knew that they would come to take 
Him by force and make Him king, fled again into the 
mountain Himself alone." 

Q. What is to be said of the multitude that followed 
Christ into the desert ? 

A. We must admire their great desire to hear the 
words of Christ and to be with Him, a desire that 
caused them to undergo willingly the fatigue and 
inconveniences of the journey and to lay aside their 
worldly cares. We must deplore the negligence of 
so many Christians, who show no desire to follow 
Christ in the way of salvation and to hear His word 
announced by His ministers. 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT. 



95 



Q. Why did the evangelist record the circumstance 
that the Paschal feast or Easter was near at hand 
when Christ worked the miracle? 

A. The multiplication of the bread in the desert, 
and at the time when Easter was near at hand, was a 
figure of the Blessed Sacrament with which the whole 
Christian Church would celebrate the Christian Easter, 
and which would feed and nourish the whole world 
in the desert of this life, as the multitude was fed 
beyond the Jordan. In feeding that multitude Christ 
enlivened our faith, increased our gratitude, and fa- 
vored us in favoring them. 

Q. Why did Christ ask Philip where they could 
procure bread enough to feed so great a multitude ? 

A. Our divine Redeemer had resolved to work a 
miracle, but He wished to call the attention of the 
apostles to the pressing want of the people and to the 
impossibility of providing for them by any human 
means, and that Philip should show repentance, for 
if he believed his Master to be God and Man, he 
should have known that it was an easy matter for Him 
to work a miracle to feed the multitude. Let us 
learn from this that God very often withholds IJis 
help that we may know our helplessness, and to con- 
vince us that when we are freed from evils of soul or 
body it is not the results of our own endeavors or 
knowledge, but of the mercy and goodness of God. 
Let us learn to be ready to give Him a proof of our 
faith whenever He is pleased to try us. 

Q. Jesus gave thanks when He took the five loaves 
and two fishes. What are we to learn from this? 

A. We should learn to do the same when we take 
our meals. As the people received the food from 



9 6 



FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT. 



the hands of Christ, so also do we receive it from 
God alone in the ordinary way of His providence, 
for without His blessing the earth would be barren 
and unproductive. Jesus then thanked the Eternal 
Father for having placed Him in such a situation as 
to provide for the people by a miracle that would 
benefit both their souls and bodies. In the same 
manner must we thank God when we are able to 
assist the poor, and the most sincere and meritorious 
thanksgiving is to be prompt and generous in helping 
them for God's sake. 

Q. Why did Christ order the fragments to be col- 
lected after the people had appeased their hunger? 

A. By this our divine Master has taught us how 
highly we should prize all things that come from 
God. Besides, those fragments were an additional 
proof of the miracle, and are a lesson to pious people 
not to neglect the smallest favors of God, the inspira- 
tions and fervor in prayer, the grace of receiving 
the sacraments, for from the effects we will better 
learn the importance of the helps we have received. 

Q. What does the miraculous multiplication of 
bre'ad signify, when twelve basketfuls remained after 
all had eaten? 

A. Christ has promised the charitable that their 
alms will be abundantly rewarded, and this fact of 
the Gospel is a proof of it. He distributed five 
loaves; each ate and was satisfied, and still there re- 
mained twelve basketfuls at His disposal. In the 
same manner, if we help our neighbor the the love of 
God our alms will relieve his wants, the act will be 
to our advantage, and before God we will gain a hun- 
dred-fold. 



FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, OR PASSION SUNDAY. 97 

Q. Did the multitude want to make Him king be- 
cause He fed them? 

A. The Gospel tells us that the people, on witness- 
ing the great miracle, thought of making Him their 
king, and this is precisely what Christ wants us to 
do. We have said that this miracle was a figure of the 
Blessed Sacrament. Now, when we have approached 
the Eucharistic table, when we have been fed with 
the body and blood of Christ, it is our duty to pro- 
claim Him the King and Master and Lord of our 
affections, of our heart, and of our whole self. 

Q. Why, then, did Jesus retire into the mountain? 

A. He fled into the mountain because He came not 
to seek human praise or earthly honor. Let us learn 
from this to do all the good we can in this life, but 
not to seek for reward on earth — rather to flee from 
the applause and honor of the world, because it may 
make us proud and vain, and expose us to the perse- 
cutions of the jealous and envious, whose number is 
great. 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, OR PASSION SUNDAY. 
Gospel : St. John viii. 46-59. 

AT that time, Jesus said to the multitude of the Jews: 
"Which of you shall convince Me of sin? If I say 
the truth to you, why do you not believe Me? He that is 
of God heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear 
them not, because you are not of God. The Jews therefore 
answered and said to Him : Do not we say well that Thou 
art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered : I have 
not a devil ; but I honor My Father, and you have dis- 
honored Me. But I seek not My own glory : there is One 
7 



FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, OR PASSION SUNDAY. 



that seeketh and judgeth. Amen, amen, I say to you: if 
any man keep My word, he shall not see death forever. 
The Jews therefore said : Now we know that Thou hast a 
devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets: and Thou 
sayest : If any man keep My word, he shall not taste death 
forever. Art Thou greater than our father Abraham, who 
is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom dost Thou 
make Thyself? Jesus answered: If I glorify Myself, My 
glory is nothing. It is My Father that glorifieth Me, of 
Whom you say that He is your God, and you have not 
known Him: but I know Him; and if I shall say that I 
know Him not I shall be like to } r ou, a liar. But I do 
know Him, and do keep His word. Abraham your father 
rejoiced that he might see My day: he saw it, and was 
glad. The Jews therefore said to Him : Thou art not yet 
fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham? Jesus said 
to them : Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was 
made, I am. They took up stones therefore to cast at 
Him: but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the 
temple." 

Q. Why did Jesus affirm His innocence and defy 
any one to convict Him of sin? 

A. He did it to convince the Jews of their injustice 
in refusing to believe His words and His doctrine. 
When a teacher combines profound learning with a 
spotless life he has a right to the confidence of those 
who hear Him, for as a learned man there is no 
probability of his being deceived, and as an honest 
man no one should suspect that he would deceive. 
Let us also learn to live up to our teaching, our ad- 
vice, and our corrections ; so that when we reproach 
others, they cannot reproach us with inconsistency. 

Q. Was it for this reason that He added: "Why 
do you not believe Me" ? 



FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, OR PASSION SUNDAY. 99 

A. Certainly it was. Up to that time Christ had 
given proof that His teaching was full of truth and 
heavenly wisdom, and the Gospel says that His 
enemies were so convinced and overpowered by His 
proofs that they had no longer the courage to question 
Him. On the other hand, His life had always been 
so holy, prudent, affable, and irreproachable, that no 
one could accuse Him of the slightest transgression of 
the law, or of sin. As He had shown His wisdom 
and His holiness of life, He had a right to be heard ; 
and if the Jews did not believe Him, He could justly 
reproach them for their injustice. How many Chris- 
tians deserve such a reproach from Christ ! 

Q. What is to be said of the sentence Christ pro- 
nounced against the Jews? 

A. The sentence which declared the Jews to be 
strangers to God was most just, and as such it should 
inspire us with fear. The Jews did not believe in 
Christ because they were not guided by the Spirit of 
God, but rather by their pride, envy, and hatred ; but 
what shall we say of ourselves if we have no inclina- 
tion, no wish, to hear the word of God? What shall 
we say if we hear not or care not for what God teaches 
us by the voice of His priests, by His inspirations, 
etc. ? We must, then, acknowledge that we are not 
guided by the Holy Ghost, that we do not belong to 
God, but rather to the devil, like the obstinate Jews. 
May the Lord preserve us from so great an evil ! 

Q. What did the Jews do when they heard that 
terrible sentence? 

A. Instead of endeavoring to be enlightened and 
converted, they became still more obstinate in their 
impiety. Prompted by an intense hatred, they in- 



IOO FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, OR PASSION SUNDAY. 

suited the divine Redeemer by calling Him a Samari- 
tan and one possessed by a devil. How many Chris- 
tians are like the Jews ! Instead of profiting by the 
counsel of their confessors, by the sermons and in- 
structions of the priests, they sacrilegiously insult 
God, and call fanatics and impostors the ministers 
of the Word, the heralds of His infinite mercy or of 
His terrible justice. 

Q. What is to be said of Christ's action in this 
case? 

A. Insulted and calumniated as a schismatic, an 
apostate, and one possessed by a devil, He could, like 
Elias, have called fire from heaven to destroy His 
enemies, but He preferred to give us an example of 
divine patience and meekness, and refrained from 
saying any more to them than w r hat the glory of God 
required. The charity of Jesus toward His enemies 
was seen on this occasion in all its greatness, and it 
teaches us how we should act when assailed by cal- 
umny and abuse. 

Q. What is to be said of His answer? 

A. Jesus was calumniated as being a Samaritan 
and possessed by a devil. To the first accusation He 
made no reply, because all knew that it was false, 
and because, as St. Gregory says, " As the word 
Samaritan signifies not only a schismatic, but also a 
guardian," in this latter sense, as the guardian of our 
souls, He did not resent this name, although appar- 
ently an opprobrious one. By so doing He taught 
us not to reply to imputations that are evidently 
false and unjust. He replied, however, to the other 
accusation, because had He been silent it would 
have been prejudicial to the mission He had received 



FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, OR PASSION SUNDAY. IOI 

from His Father. In fact, how could He have 
preached the truth, how could He be the Redeemer 
of the world and the mediator between God and man, 
if He were possessed by a devil? How could the 
future Christians believe in Him if they knew He 
was so possessed? The interests of religion, there- 
fore, required this calumny to be refuted, and on this 
account He did refute it, but with a meekness which 
one possessed by a devil could not have done. Let 
us learn from our divine Master to suffer false accu- 
sations for God's sake as long- as they are not injurious 
to our character or to the interests of religion ; but 
when silence is detrimental to truth, religion, or our 
neighbor, we should speak out and refute the false 
accusations, but always with the meekness of Jesus 
Christ. 

Q. Why, then, did not the Jews yield when He 
assured them with an oath that " if any man keeps 
My word he shall not taste death forever "? 

A. They were so carnal-minded, says St. Gregory, 
that they did not understand Him. Christ intended 
to say that whoever would faithfully observe His holy 
law would preserve the life of his soul — his soul 
would not die — but the Jews thought He spoke of 
the death of the body, and that He promised His 
followers that they would never suffer such a death. 
Taking His word in this sense, the blind Jews fancied 
that He would have them believe what was very 
strange and utterly impossible, as Abraham himself 
had to die. 

Q. What did Christ mean to say by these words: 
" Abraham rejoiced that he might see My day, he 
§aw it and was glad " ? 



102 FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, OR PASSION SUNDAY. 

A. Abraham expected the Saviour, and God assured 
him that the Saviour would come, nay, that He would 
be born of one of his descendants. Abraham lived 
in this faith, and in this faith he died, because, rely- 
ing upon God's word, he saw with certainty in the 
far future that Christ by whom he was to be saved. 
If Abraham rejoiced thinking of the expected Messias, 
how can we remain indifferent when we think of the 
Saviour Who has come and Who has made us mem- 
bers of His body? 

Q. But did the Jews understand these words? 

A. Men who are ruled by their passions cannot un- 
derstand the truth ; hence the Jews, who were full of 
envy and hatred, did not understand these words: 
they thought they were strange and unpardonable. 
They understood Him to say that he, as man, lived 
in the time of Abraham and was seen by Abraham. 
As two thousand years had elapsed since Abraham's 
death, they thought this very strange. They did not 
think of that vision which is proper to faith. Thus 
one errs who relies too much upon himself and beholds 
things in a light different from that of a Christian. 

Q. Is there not an inexactness in this phrase, 
" Before Abraham was made, I am "? 

A. No, there is not. The phrase is perfectly cor- 
rect. By these words Christ intended to make known 
to us that He was God, one with the Father and the 
Holy Ghost ; that as God He was eternal and stood 
in need of nothing, and as eternity is as one day 
and admits of no time, He could truly say, " Before 
Abraham was made, I am." St. Augustine says: 
" Know the Creator, and make a distinction beween 
Him and the creature. He Who spoke, that is, Christ, 



FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, OR PASSION SUNDAY. IO3 



according to His humanity was a descendant of Abra- 
ham, and as God He is eternal and existed before 
Abraham." 

Q. What are we to think of the Jews, who upon 
hearing these words took up stones to cast at Him? 

A. We need not be surprised at this. When a 
person is obstinate in his errors and hardened in sin, 
he ends by waging war against Christ, and attempts 
even, if it were possible, to destroy Him. How many, 
who are the slaves of their passions and wish not to 
amend their lives, end by denying the truth and 
fiercely attacking the gospel? One abyss leads to 
another, and he who has not the courage to overcome 
himself will by degrees lose his faith, hate religion, 
and not blush to be publicly known as an enemy of 
God. 

Q. What is to be learned from Christ's hiding 
Himself and going out of the temple? 

A. Who does not know that the Divine Master, 
Who had worked so many miracles, could in a 
moment have felled the impious Jews to the ground, 
as He afterward did the crowd in the Garden of 
Gethsemani, or could He not have treated them 
worse ? Yet He preferred to hide Himself, and by so 
doing He taught us to be meek and not to resist the 
powers, even when we are sure of victory, in order 
not to still more irritate them and to cause them to 
do us greater harm when opportunity offers, which 
they surely will not let escape them. 



104 



PALM SUNDAY. 



PALM SUNDAY. 
Gospel: St. Matthew xxi. 1-9. 

AT that time : " When they drew nigh to Jerusalem, and 
were come to Bethphage, unto Mount Olivet, then 
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them : Go ye into the 
village that is over against you, and immediately you 
shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her, loose them, and 
bring them to Me, and if any man shall say anything to 
you, say ye that the Lord hath need of them : and forth- 
with he will let them go. Now all this was done that it 
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 
Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold thy King cometh 
to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass and a colt the foal 
of her that is used to the yoke. And the disciples, going, 
did as Jesus commanded them. And they brought the ass 
and the colt: and laid their garments upon them, and 
made Him sit thereon. And a very great multitude 
spread their garments in the way : and others cut boughs 
from the trees, and strewed them in the way: and the 
multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, 
saying: Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed is He that 
cometh in the name of the Lord : Hosanna in the highest. " 

Q. What place was this Bethphage? 

A. It was a village not far from Bethany, the resi- 
dence of Lazarus. It w T as located on the side of 
Mount Olivet, at the head of the famous valley of 
Josaphat, which from there extends £0 the Dead 
Sea. In this village were kept the sheep, goats, oxen, 
and all the animals that were sacrificed in the temple 
according to the law. From this place they were 
solemnly led to Jerusalem, entering by the Golden 
Gate, 



PALM SUNDAY. 



Q. Is there anything to remark on this point? 

A. It was from this village that Our Saviour went to 
Jerusalem to be crucified the following week, and as 
He was the Lamb that was to be slaughtered for the 
salvation of the world, the victim of which all the 
other sacrifices of the law of Moses were only the 
figure, He therefore wanted to go to that place, walk 
on the same road, and enter the same gate which was 
entered by the victims destined for the sacrifice, and 
on that solemn day of the Paschal lamb. 

Q. What do the two beasts of burden signify which 
Christ ordered His disciples to bring? 

A. The old one, accustomed to work and carry 
burdens, was a figure of the Jewish nation brought 
up under the yoke of the Old Law and accustomed to 
carry the burden of its observances. The colt that 
was tied was a figure of the Gentiles, who up to that 
time had lived according to their will and known no 
restraint. Christ sent His disciples to bring both 
animals, as the apostles by preaching His resurrection 
and gospel would convert both the Jews and the Gen- 
tiles and unite them in His Church and make them 
the instruments of His glorious triumph. 

Q. Had Christ any other reason to use those two 
animals in entering Jerusalem ? 

A. He intended that the prophecy of Zachary 
should be fulfilled. This prophet long before had 
said : " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion ! Shout 
for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem ! Behold, thy King 
will come to thee, the Just and Saviour. He is poor 
and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of 
an ass." (Zach. ix. 9.) 



io6 



PALM SUNDAY. 



Q. What is to be said on these points? 

A. In all this we recognize an undeniable proof of 
the divinity of Christ, and of His power and absolute 
dominion over all things. God alone sees, because 
present to Him, events at a distance and in the 
future, even those depending on free agencies. And 
as Christ told the apostles with certainty what they 
would find in the place to which He sent them, He 
gave a proof that He could see when He was not per- 
sonally present, and that consequently He was God, 
as He declared. In regard to the answer His apostles 
should give the owner of the animals, He gave 
them to understand that, as God, He was the owner 
of them, and that the possessor should acknowledge 
having received them from Him and should give 
them up to Him when He required them. We should 
learn from this that what we possess is not really ours 
but God's, from Whom we received it, and that we are 
obliged to render it up to Him when He reclaims it. 

Q. How did there happen to be so great a multitude 
in Jerusalem, and why did they do Christ such great 
honor? 

A. Remember that on that same day on which 
Christ entered Jerusalem the Paschal lamb was led 
with great solemnity from Bethphage to the temple. 
It is not surprising, then, that our divine Saviour 
should meet on the same road so many people. 
Besides, all Jerusalem was in excitement and wonder 
because of the great miracle Jesus had but recently 
worked — the raising of Lazarus from the dead after 
he had been four days in the grave. The people, 
who revered Him on account of His other miracles, 
were carried to the highest pitch of admiration by 



PALM SUNDAY. 



107 



this manifestation of His power over death. This 
triumph of the God-man had been foretold, and the 
omnipotent Hand that disposes of all things procured 
its fulfilment. 

Q. What was the intention of the multitude in 
strewing branches of palm and olive, and spreading 
their garments on the road ? 

A. Naturally speaking, we may say that the 
people, wishing to pay homage to Christ and to make 
His entry into Jerusalem as solemn as possible, knew 
no other way of manifesting the feelings of their 
hearts. But we must raise our minds higher, and 
see the hand of God in things which appear so 
natural and accidental. Jesus went to Jerusalem 
to be crucified, and by His death to conquer hell, to 
bring down upon men the fulness of grace, and detach 
their hearts from the things of this world in order to 
direct them to heavenly things. Hence God so 
willed it that the great multitude should applaud the 
triumph of the Redeemer, and — as the Church says 
on this day — with palms in their hands they pro- 
claimed His victory over Satan. The olive branches 
signified the oil of grace which would be diffused 
over the children of redemption. The garments 
spread under His feet signified the renunciation of 
all earthly affections which the just must make for 
God's sake; for, according to St. Gregory, earthly 
affections are the garments that entangle our souls, 
and the better to fight our spiritual enemies we must 
get rid of them. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 
A. We must learn not to trust the world, to fear its 
inconstancy, and to hope for reward from God alone. 



io8 



EASTER SUNDAY. 



To-day we behold Christ entering Jerusalem amidst 
the hosannas of the people — five days later we shall 
see Him dragged to Mount Calvary amidst curses 
and blasphemies. To-day the people are all love for 
Him and pay Him homage — in a few days we shall 
see them filled with hatred, demanding His blood. 
To-day Christ crosses the valley of Josaphat in an 
humble manner, riding on a beast of burden — a day 
will come when, sitting upon the clouds and sur- 
rounded with glory, He will in that same valley judge 
the living and the dead. 

Let us, therefore, learn not to trust the world, which 
quickly abandons what it once loved, and not to 
trust ourselves, who are liable to change at any 
moment. Let us hope from God the reward for the 
humiliations we have suffered upon earth. 



EASTER SUNDAY. 
Gospel: St. Mark xvi. 1-7. 

AT that time : " Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother 
of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that com- 
ing they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morn- 
ing, the first day of the week, they came to the sepulchre, 
the sun being now risen. And they said one to another: 
Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the se- 
pulchre? And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. For 
it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they 
saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a 
white robe: and they were astonished. Who saith to 
them: Be not affrighted: you seek Jesus of Nazareth, 
Who was crucified. He is risen, He is not here; behold 
the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples 



EASTER SUNDAY. 



and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee : there 
you shall see Him, as He told you." 

Q. What are we to think of those women who, all 
alone and without fear, went at that hour to the 
sepulchre ? 

A. It shows with what truth a holy Father said : 
" Perfect charity knows no fear." Those holy women 
sincerely loved Jesus, and, wishing in some manner 
to show their fidelity toward Him, they went to 
anoint with sweet spices His inanimate body. We 
ought to learn from these pious women to be cou- 
rageous in working for the glory of Jesus Christ, and, 
as St. Gregory says, " we shall bring Him precious 
balm if we serve Him with humility and with mor- 
tification." 

Q. What is to be said of these words : " They came 
very early in the morning, the first day in the week, 
the sun being now risen"? 

A. In regard to the early hour they left their homes, 
we should admire their true devotion, which admitted 
of no delay in executing their good purpose. He 
who sincerely serves God will never lose time ; he 
abhors every delay that hinders him in doing all he 
can for God. In regard to the day, which was the 
first day of the week, we are to recognize that day of 
the Lord which afterward was to be the holy day of 
the Christian Church, on which we also should devote 
ourselves to works of religion, and bring balm to 
Jesus Christ. Finally, in the fact that the sun had 
risen, we see that a soul that sincerely seeks the glory 
of God will never remain in darkness, ignorance, 
or doubt, but will always find the light that comforts 
and guides it in all its steps. If, according to the 



I IO 



EASTER SUNDAY. 



laws of nature, the sun had risen, it had also risen 
according to the laws of grace, because Christ had 
already risen from the dead, and by His resurrection 
bestowed the full light of the gospel, confirmed the 
true faith, and brought the day of life to the whole 
world. 

Q. Why did those women, on their way to the 
sepulchre, think only of the stone with which the 
tomb was closed, and not of the soldiers who guarded 
the tomb? 

A. These women did not know that soldiers were 
there, or that the tomb was sealed. On Friday even- 
ing they had seen Joseph Nicodemus and other 
friends of Christ close the sepulchre with a large 
stone, but they did not know that on the following 
day, that is, on the Sabbath, the leaders of the Phari- 
sees, who did not scruple to violate the sacredness of 
the day, had sealed the stone and placed guards at 
the tomb to prevent the apostles from stealing the 
body. Hence the pious women thought only of the 
difficulty of removing the large stone, and not of one 
still greater — the soldiers who guarded the sepulchre 
and would prevent their approaching. How often do 
we also fear imaginary difficulties, and think not of 
the real ones that would prevent us from doing good 
if God did not remove them. Let us learn from this 
to pray to God to remove with His powerful hand not 
only the obstacles which we know of, but also those 
which we know not of. 

Q. How can we say that these women did not know 
that the tomb was sealed? 

A. Though the Gospel says nothing of this, it is 
natural to suppose that they did not know it. For, if 



EASTER SUNDAY. 



I I I 



they had known, they would not conspire to break 
the seals, on account of their respect for public au- 
thority ; besides, they would know it was impossible, 
on account of the opposition of the guards ; and out 
of respect for themselves they would neither have 
desired nor hoped for any favor from the soldiers. 
The true lover of God is always respectful, intelligent, 
and prudent, and had these pious women conspired to 
break the seals, they would have offended against the 
public authority, which the Divine Teacher had always 
respected. They would have acted blindly in not 
calculating on resistance, and they would have been 
imprudent to expect favors from idolatrous soldiers 
who were no respecters of virtue. In addition to this 
they could not have thought that those Pharisees, 
who found fault with Christ for working miracles on 
the Sabbath, would themselves desecrate the sanctity 
of the Sabbath by sealing the tomb. And lastly, if 
they had faith, they should rather guard than destroy 
the seals which Christ, in order to increase His glory, 
would Himself break by rising from the tomb, as He 
had so often foretold. From all this we must conclude 
that the pious women did not know that the sepulchre 
had been sealed. 

Q. But if they knew the difficulty of removing the 
stone, why did they continue their journey? 

A. Behold the work of love! They knew the dif- 
ficulty, but they hoped to overcome it with the divine 
help. One who truly loves God hopes all from God, 
and his hopes are never disappointed. The women 
came to the sepulchre and found that the heavy stone 
had been removed. Let us also learn to advance 
steadily on the way of virtue, and the obstacles which 



112 



EASTER SUNDAY. 



at a distance discourage us will disappear as we ap- 
proach them. 

Q. What does the Evangelist intend by telling us 
that the women entered into the sepulchre? 

A. In order to understand these words we must 
first know how the sepulchre was made in which the 
body of Christ was placed. There was, not far from 
Mount Calvary, a place where Joseph of Arimathea 
had, according to the Venerable Bede, prepared a 
tomb for himself ; he had cut into the side of a rock 
and cleared a space the size of a small room, or rather 
he cut out a round arch, in which a man standing 
could touch the roof with his fingers. The opening 
of this cave was rather small, and on the east side ; 
upon entering, there was on the right side, that is, 
toward the north, a bed of marble seven feet long 
and three hands high, with an elevation at both ends. 
Upon this bed of stone, on which no one had as yet 
been placed, the body of Christ was laid, and, ac- 
cording to the custom of the Jews, the whole body, 
except the head, was wrapped in fine linen, with the 
spices brought by Nicodemus ; the head was covered 
with a sheet that was fastened behind the shoulders 
and on the breast. Now imagine we see those women, 
who, having arrived at the sepulchre, and finding the 
stone removed, one by one entered the cave, and on 
one side saw the winding-sheets, and on the marble 
bed they saw a young man full of glory ; and then you 
will understand what the Evangelist intended by say- 
ing they entered into the sepulchre. 

Q. Who was that young man whom the women saw 
in the sepulchre? 

A. He was an angel, whose countenance, as St. 
Matthew relates, was as lightning, and his garments 



EASTER SUNDAY. 



as white as snow. He was seated on the right hand to 
indicate that the Divine Redeemer had completed His 
earthly career, and had received the glory which His 
Eternal Father had prepared for Him. His counte- 
nance was like lightning, because it was terrible to 
the enemies of Christ; his garments were white as 
snow, on account of his heavenly purity. He told the 
women not to fear, because he never need fear who 
goes in search of Christ, and only those must tremble 
who wage war against Him by their scandalous man- 
ner of living. 

Q. What is to be said about the command the angel 
gave to the women? 

A. The angel told the women that they should 
immediately give notice to the disciples, and to Peter. 
Here we should notice, first, the haste which the an- 
gel commanded; secondly, the person whose name 
is mentioned in preference to others. It was quite 
natural that these pious women should loiter to gaze 
on the empty bed of stone upon which the body of 
Christ had reposed, the winding-sheets in which His 
sacred body had been wrapped, and the cloth that 
had covered His most adorable head. But the angel 
commanded them not to lose time, and to go im- 
mediately and proclaim the resurrection of Christ. 
Let us learn from this that when God is pleased to 
send us joy and consolation we must not seek in them 
our own satisfaction and pleasure, but should rather 
give glory to God by praising His infinite mercy and 
love, and by acknowledging our own unworthiness. 
In regard to the second point, of all the apostles only 
Peter's name was mentioned. In this we see a proof 
of his primacy, and also a strong reason for him to re- 
joice in his deep sorrow. Was not Peter the prince of 
8 



ii4 



EASTER SUNDAY. 



the apostles, the foundation of the new-born Church ? 
Therefore to him should be given the joyful news 
which established the faith on a firm foundation. 
Was not Peter transfixed with sorrow on account of 
his sin? Therefore to him as a penitent the heavenly 
messenger should send the joyful tidings of Christ's 
resurrection. Let us learn from this angel to respect 
our superiors, and to have compassion for the 
afflicted. 

Q. Did the women do promptly what they were told 
to do? 

A. They went immediately to do the angel's bid- 
ding, but, as St. Matthew relates, on their way they 
met Jesus Himself, Who said to them : " All hail ! 
Fear not, but go tell My brethren that they go into 
Galilee; there they will see Me." 

Q. Were the pious women the first to see Christ? 

A. They were. God makes no distinction of sex, 
age, or state of life. He who first goes in search of 
Christ with the fervor of charity, with devotion and 
the balm of holy virtue, will be the first to receive 
His special favors. 

Q. Why did Christ on this occasion call His disci- 
ples His brethren? 

A. With the exception of St. John, the conduct of 
the apostles during His passion was such that Christ 
had reason to be displeased with them ; but in His 
great charity He had compassion on their weakness, 
and still loved them ; and, in order to console and en- 
courage them, He sends His greeting to them, and 
calls them by the endearing name brethren. Besides, 
by the death of Christ all Christians are the adopted 
children of the Eternal Father, and brethren of Jesus 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



Christ. After so great an event, this was the first 
time that a human eye had seen Him ; hence for the 
first time He greets us all by that endearing name, 
giving us thereby to understand that by the merits of 
His death we have acquired a new standing, merited 
a new name, and have become His brethren. God ! 
we are but worms of the earth, but by Thy mercy we 
are the brethren of Jesus Christ. 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
Gospel: St. John xx. 19-31. 

AT that time : " When it was late that same day, the first 
of the week, and the doors were shut where the dis- 
ciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews, Jesus 
came and stood in the midst, and said to them : Peace be 
to you. And when He had said this He showed them 
His hands and His side. The disciples therefore were 
glad when they saw the Lord. He said therefore to 
them again : Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent 
Me, I also send you. When He had said this He breathed 
on them; and He said to them: Receive ye the Holy 
Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven 
them : and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. 
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, 
was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples 
therefore said to him : We have seen the Lord. But he 
said to them: Except I shall see in His hands the print of 
the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, 
and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. And 
after eight days again His disciples were within, and 
Thomas with them. Jesus eometh, the doors being shut, 
and stood in the midst, and said : Peace be to you. Then 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



He saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see My 
hands; and bring hither thy hand and put it into My side: 
and be not faithless but believing. Thomas answered, and 
said to Him: My Lord and my God. Jesus saith to him: 
Because thou hast seen Me, Thomas, thou hast believed: 
blessed are they that have not seen and have believed. 
Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of His dis- 
ciples which are not written in this book. But these are 
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the 
Son of God ; and that believing you may have life in His 
name." 

Q. If the doors of the room were closed, how did 
Christ enter? 

A. We must know, says St. Augustine, that God 
can do many things which we cannot understand. 
As Jesus while yet mortal could walk on the water 
without sinking, and as He was able without being 
seen or touched to pass among those who wished to 
cast Him from the precipice and to stone Him in the 
temple, so after His glorious resurrection He could 
pass through closed doors and enter the room with- 
out difficulty. All is explained by the power of 
Christ, true God and true man. 

Q. What are we to infer from the fact of the doors 
being closed? 

A. As our senses are the doors of the soul, we infer 
that when these senses are closed to things of the 
world Jesus will enter into our souls and say : " Peace 
be to you." Let us, then, close our eyes in order not 
to see the vanities of the world, our ears not to hear 
them spoken of, and our lips in order not to speak 
useless and evil words, and Jesus will come into our 
hearts and announce peace to us. 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. I if 

Q. What are we to think of these words of Christ: 
" Peace be to you"? 

A. By these sweet words Jesus announced the inef- 
fable fruit of His passion, which was peace between 
God and ourselves. He exhorts the apostles not to 
be disturbed by the malice of men, and invites them 
to confide in Him, and not to think that He is dis- 
pleased with them on account of their weakness and 
unfaithfulness shown during His passion. Let us 
beseech God that we also may experience the effect 
of these words, and enjoy peace with Him, with our 
neighbors, and with ourselves. 

Q. Why did Christ after His resurrection retain the 
wounds in His hands, feet, and side? 

A. Those wounds did not disfigure the glorious 
members of His body, but rather increased their 
beauty, and He retained them in order to show that it 
was by suffering that He purchased His present glory, 
to confirm the truth of His passion and of His resur- 
rection, to excite continually our gratitude, and to 
incessantly present to the eyes of His Eternal Father 
the price of our souls. 

Q. How are we to understand these words: "As 
the Father hath sent Me, I also send you"? 

A. These words prove the legitimate authority of 
the apostles, the scope of their mission, and the man- 
ner and love with which they should accomplish it. As 
Christ was sent on earth by the Eternal Father, abso- 
lute Master of all things, so, in like manner, the apos- 
tles were sent by Christ, in Whose hand is placed all 
power on earth and in heaven. Christ taught the 
world by His doctrines, His miracles, and His exam- 
ple, and the apostles were to do and have done in like 



Il8 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

manner. Lastly, Christ completed His mission on 
earth by a continual prodigy of love, and the apostles 
and their successors should always be guided by a 
similar love in all their actions. 

Q. Why did Christ on this occasion impart the 
Holy Ghost to the apostles? 

A. Notice that when Christ had said, "Receive ye 
the Holy Ghost," He immediately added: "Whose 
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven." He there- 
fore imparted the Holy Ghost to the apostles in order 
to enable them to exercise with effect the judging of 
consciences. They were in the name of God to retain 
or to forgive sins, and Christ endowed them with His 
own spirit for so exalted a ministry ; they were to com- 
municate this same Holy Ghost to all their successors, 
that is, to the Bishops and Priests, in order that the au- 
thority received from Him should be exercised till the 
end of the world. 

Q. What are we to think of the incredulity of 
Thomas ? 

A. He unfortunately sinned. He should have be- 
lieved that Christ was not wanting in the power to 
fulfil the promises made regarding His resurrection. 
He should have believed the testimony of the apos- 
tles, and had less confidence in himself and more in 
his Divine Master. His incredulity, however, has 
assisted powerfully the Church, because it shows 
that the apostles were not hasty in believing the res- 
urrection of the Master, but that they believed that 
wonderful event by the force of evidence. 

Q. What signifies the eighth day, on which Christ 
wished Thomas to put his finger into His wounds? 
A. This eighth day signifies that great day when in 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



ir 9 



heaven we shall see with our own eyes and touch with 
our own hands the sacred fountains of our salvation. 
Hence, in order to obtain so great a happiness, let us 
now promptly and sincerely believe all that the le- 
gitimate ministers of Christ teach us relating to life 
eternal. Let us not be so presumptuous as to con- 
stitute ourselves the judges in matters of faith, and 
let us remember that the Divine Redeemer called 
those blessed who have not seen and have believed. 

Q. And how may we also rejoice in that peace an- 
nounced to the apostles? 

A. We also can enjoy that peace if, with the grace 
of God obtained through Christ, we study to keep 
in peace with God, by avoiding sin; in peace with 
our neighbor, by loving him with true charity and 
suffering with patience his defects; and in peace 
with ourselves, by being contented with our condition 
in life, and limiting the desires of our heart. 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
Gospel: St. John x. 11-16. 

AT that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees : " I am the Good 
Shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for 
his sheep. But the hireling and he that is not the shep- 
herd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf com- 
ing, and leaveth the sheep and flieth : and the wolf catcheth 
and scattereth the sheep. And the hireling flieth, because 
he is a hireling, and he hath no care for the sheep. I am 
the Good Shepherd: and I know Mine, and Mine know 
Me. As the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father: 
and I lay down My life for My sheep. And other sheep 
I have, that are not of this fold : them also I must bring, 



120 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold 
and one shepherd. " 

Q. Why did Christ call Himself the Good Shepherd ? 

A. God had said by the mouth of Ezechiel: " I will 
set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed 
them, even My servant David: he shall feed them, 
and he shall be their shepherd " (xxxiv. 23). Accord- 
ing to an eloquent commentator the above words 
mean: " I will set up one shepherd. . . . David 
will be this shepherd, not David who is dead, but 
that David Who was expected from the beginning of 
the world, and Whom all the prophets have foretold ; 
He Who in the Holy Scriptures is often called by 
the name of His royal ancestor. I speak of the Re- 
deemer of mankind, of the Redeemer of the world, 
of Him Who gathers all My sheep into the great 
fold of the Church, whose boundaries are the confines 
of the earth. . . . My son, born of My own sub- 
stance, equal to Me in all things, Who assumed the 
form of a servant from the blood of David, He will 
come to feed My new people, to govern them, to de- 
fend them, and to be a faithful and loving shepherd 
to them." Hence, when Christ said, "I am the Good 
Shepherd," His intention was to formally announce to 
His hearers, and at the same time to the whole world, 
that He was the Shepherd promised by the Eternal 
Father, that is, the only-begotten Son of God, Who, 
becoming man, and Who as man was of the house of 
David, would teach the whole world, and gather all 
nations into the one fold of His Church. Hence the 
Jews were guilty in not recognizing Him. In vain do 
they even now expect Him; and we are the fortunate 
ones who by the grace of God acknowledge Jesus 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



121 



Christ to be the only Shepherd Who was promised and 
announced in all the prophecies. 

Q. Why does Christ say that the good shepherd 
gives his life for his sheep? 

A. Here Christ describes a good shepherd in order 
to make it known that He must be acknowledged as 
such. The good shepherd who cares for his sheep 
leads them to good pastures, he leads them to the water 
to quench their thirst, and to defend them from the 
wolf he will expose his own life ; for at beholding 
the wolf he flies to the spot armed with his staff and 
followed by his dogs, and gives battle to the ferocious 
brute at the risk of his own life. Now Jesus has 
done the same for us, only in a more sublime man- 
ner. He loved us with so great a love as to assume 
the form of a servant ; He led us on the way of virtue 
by His own example ; He feeds us with His holy doc- 
trine, with His grace, and with His own flesh; He 
quenches our thirst at the fountains of the holy sac- 
raments, and to save us from the infernal dragon He 
took up His cross, went to encounter the enemy, 
sacrificed His own life, and by His ministers He con- 
tinually protects us from the attacks of him who 
threatens us with death. 

Q. Why did Christ describe the hireling? 

A. By so doing He in the first place proves that 
He is the Good Shepherd, because the qualities of 
the hireling cannot be applied to Him, inasmuch as He 
has shown that His conduct was quite different from 
that of a man who does his work for gain, pride, and 
self-love. In the second place, He has taught His 
ministers what they should be to the sheep under their 
care, and how, by examining the motive of their 



122 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



actions, and the manner in which they perform 
them, they can judge whether they are good shep- 
herds, zealous for the welfare of souls, or whether 
they are hirelings who in all things seek themselves. 

Q. Why does Christ say that He knows His sheep 
and that they know Him? 

A. A good shepherd knows each of his sheep in 
particular, and calls it by name. Hence he knows 
which are the best, the indifferent, and the poorest, 
he knows which are the strong, the fruitful, and the 
defective, and when one goes astray he immediately 
knows it and goes in search of it. He provides for 
the weak, and carries on his shoulders the sick. 
Christ is all this in regard to us, His fortunate sheep. 
He knows each individual soul, its qualities, its merits, 
its defects, and its wants. If it goes astray He merci- 
fully seeks it ; if it is weak He assists it Himself, and 
helps it by His ministers ; if it is sick He treats it 
with His holy sacraments. In a word, He lovingly 
provides for all its wants. 

Q. What is to be said of the sheep that know Him? 

A. The sheep know their shepherd by his coun- 
tenance, his voice, and his call; hence if they hear 
him they obey, they remain where they are, or they 
come to him, according as he may order; if the wolf 
comes they run to the shepherd for protection, and he 
places himself at their head and sets the dogs on 
the aggressor. Lastly, the sheep, who fear all else, 
have no fear of their shepherd ; they permit him to 
take them, to shear and handle them as he pleases. 
In the same manner do the true Christians know 
Jesus Christ by His virtues, His commands, His 
voice, and even by His chastisements. Whether 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



I23 



favored, called, or chastised, they know whence all 
comes. Let us always look up to Christ, let us con- 
fide in Him, have recourse to Him, and patiently 
receive from His hand all that afflicts us. 

Q. What did Jesus mean when He said: " As the 
Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father: and I 
lay down My life for My sheep"? 

A. According to St. Cyril, Christ intended to say 
that as the Father knows Him to be His Son, consub- 
stantial with Himself, and the first-born of the elect, 
in the same manner does He know God as His 
Father Who loves Him, and by loving Him loves all 
His adopted children, and that in the same manner 
does He know His sheep as His members and the ob- 
ject of His love, and His sheep know Him to be their 
Shepherd, their Head and the Source of their life. 
On account of this knowledge He laid down His life 
for His sheep, and they know that it was sacrificed 
for their welfare. Would to God that we had a 
lively knowledge of this! Our gratitude would be 
more sincere and efficacious, and our lives more holy. 

Q. Of whom did Jesus speak when He said that 
He had other sheep that He would bring into the fold ? 

A. He spoke of the Gentiles who did not then belong 
to His flock, but who through the apostles would hear 
His voice, know the truth, embrace the faith, and by 
baptism enter the Church, so that the Jews and Gen- 
tiles would form but one people and He would be the 
loving Father of all, and thus there would be only 
one fold and one shepherd. 

Q. What are we to learn from all this? 
A. First, what a great happiness it is to belong to 
a shepherd so loving, powerful, and solicitous for our 



124 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



salvation. Secondly, we should constantly thank 
our good God for His great mercy. Lastly, we 
should show ourselves loving and obedient sheep. 
And as the sheep repay the shepherd for his care and 
labor in their behalf, so should we, by our affections, 
good works, and resignation to the dispositions of 
Divine Providence, repay in a manner the sacrifices 
which Christ underwent for us. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
Gospel: St. John xvi. 16-22. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "A little 
while, and you shall not see Me; and again a 
little while, and you shall see Me: because I go to the 
Father. Then some of His disciples said one to another: 
What is this that He saith to us: A little while, and you 
shall not see Me : and again a little while, and you shall see 
Me, and, because I go to the Father? They said therefore : 
What is this that He saith, A little while? We know not 
what He speaketh. And Jesus knew that they had a mind 
to ask Him, and He said to them : Of this do you inquire 
among yourselves, because I said: A little while, and you 
shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall 
see Me? Amen, amen, I say to you, that you shall lament 
and weep, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be 
made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 
A woman, when she is in labor, hath sorrow, because her 
hour is come: but when she hath brought forth the child, 
she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that 
a man is born into the world. So also you now indeed 
have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart 
shall rejoice: and your joy no man shall take from 
you. " 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



Q. When and why did Jesus say this to the 
apostles ? 

A. Our Saviour said these words to the apostles a 
few hours before His passion, that is, shortly after 
the Last Supper and before He left the supper room 
to go to the Garden of Gethsemani. He spoke to 
them in this manner to console them for the suffer- 
ings they were to endure during His passion and for 
preaching the gospel. 

Q. But if He intended to console them, why did 
He speak in a way they did not understand? 

A. Admire in this the loving solicitude of Jesus. 
To console one in affliction the most natural and most 
efficacious means is to draw the mind from the subject 
of one's sufferings, and this is done by occupying 
the mind with something else. He spoke to the 
apostles in this obscure manner to draw their atten- 
tion from the sufferings which He foretold, and that 
He succeeded we see from the fact that they began 
to discuss His meaning and lost sight, for the time 
being, of those sufferings. Jesus also wished to con- 
vince them of His divinity, by showing them that 
He knew their thoughts. 

Q. What do these words signify: "A little while, 
and you shall not see Me ; and again a little while, 
and you shall see Me"? 

A. According to the Jewish method of computing 
time, the day ended at sunset, when the following 
day began. Now while we say that the Last Supper 
took place on Thursday evening, according to the 
Jewish time it took place early on Friday, because 
it was after sunset on Thursday. Hence Christ's 
words, "A little while," etc., were said on the same 



126 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



day on which He was crucified. They would there- 
fore see Him only a short time longer, because at 
three o'clock that day He would die on the cross. 
But as on the third day after His death He was to 
rise from the dead, they would see Him again. Ac- 
cording to St. Augustine, these words, " A little 
while," mean the whole life-time, as if Christ meant 
to say that after a while He would go to the Father, 
and they would not see Him again until after their 
death, when they would see Him and share His joy 
and glory, of which no one could ever deprive them. 

Q. How do you explain these words : " You shall 
lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice; and 
you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be 
turned into joy"? 

A. St. John Chrysostom says that Christ intended 
to say : " After a little while, nay, after a few hours, you 
will behold Me taken prisoner, tied, crucified, dead, 
and buried. And you, My disciples, will weep and 
mourn on account of what has befallen Me ; and in the 
meantime My enemies will rejoice for having suc- 
ceeded in overcoming Me. But after a little while, 
when I shall have risen gloriously from the grave, 
your sorrow will be changed into joy at beholding 
My triumph, and the rejoicing of My enemies will be 
turned into shame, disgrace, and despair." But St. 
Augustine, applying these words to the time we live 
on this earth, explains them as if Christ meant to 
say: "After My ascension into heaven you, My 
apostles, will weep and be sorrowful through 
preaching My law and the gospel, because you will 
be the target for the rage and enmity of the perse- 
cutors, and the worldlings will rejoice over your 
sufferings and your death ; but after the short time 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



127 



that this world will last I shall come to judge the 
living and the dead, and then your sorrow will be 
turned into joy and eternal glory, and the insane 
rejoicings of the wicked will be changed into con- 
fusion, sorrow, and misery, which will never have an 
end." 

Q. Are these words of Christ addressed to us? 

A. They are, and to all good Christians, if we take 
them in the sense as explained by St. Augustine. The 
Divine Redeemer has positively declared that the cross 
is necessary for us, and that His faithful followers 
will weep and mourn in this world, and en joy eternal 
happiness in heaven, so that all they suffered on 
earth will be turned into joy. St. Jerome says: "It 
is impossible for man to be happy both on earth and 
in heaven ; it is impossible to enjoy the pleasures of 
this world and those of heaven ; it is impossible to 
pass from the joys of the present life to the joys of 
life eternal." He who mourns on earth will rejoice 
in heaven, and he who laughs and is merry in the 
world will weep in hell. 

Q. What did Christ wish to teach by the example 
of the woman who rejoices when the child is born? 

A. Every child is the cause of great anxiety and 
labor to its mother; but she feels great joy and finds 
great delight in her child, she loves it tenderly, and 
would not give it for the whole world. Such was the 
joy the Divine Master promised His disciples after the 
great labors and sufferings of their apostolate. Jesus 
reigning gloriously in heaven was to be the reward of 
all their sufferings, the delight of their hearts, and 
their joy for all eternity. 

Q. How can we apply all this to ourselves? 



128 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



A. We must know that if we are faithful followers 
and true friends of Christ, we may expect sorrow, 
tribulations, and sufferings here on earth, but that all 
this will be for our greater glory and joy in heaven. 
We are now mourning like Joseph in the pit and in 
prison, but a day will come when our joy will be 
greater than his was when he was raised to the 
throne, and we will see that our humiliations and 
sufferings have been as so many steps by which we 
arrived at the height of happiness, and to the pos- 
session of a kingdom which no one can ever take 
from us. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 
Gospel: St. John xvi. 5-14. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: " I go to Him 
that sent Me, and none of you asketh Me: Whither 
goest Thou? But because I have spoken these things to 
you sorrow hath filled your heart. But I tell you the 
truth : it is expedient to you that I go, for if I go not, the 
Paraclete will not come to you ; but if I go, I will send Him 
to you. And when He is come, He will convince the world 
of sin, and of justice, and of judgment. Of sin : because 
they believed not in Me. And of justice: because I go to 
the Father, and you shall see Me no longer. And of judg- 
ment: because the prince of this world is already judged. 
I have yet many things to say to you : but you cannot bear 
them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, 
He will teach you all truth ; for He shall not speak of 
Himself, but what things soever He shall hear He shall 
speak, and the things that are to come He shall show you. 
He shall glorify Me, because He shall receive of Mine, 
and shall show it to you, " 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



I29 



Q. Why did Jesus say to the apostles that He was 
going to the Father? 

A. From the beginning of this discourse which 
He had with the apostles at the Last Supper, Christ 
had said that He was going away, but no one knew 
whither He was going, and no one asked Him. He, in 
thus speaking, wished them to understand that the 
time had come when He should leave them, because 
He was going to His crucifixion and death, after 
which, having proved His glorious resurrection by 
frequently appearing to them, He would be taken up 
before their eyes into heaven to sit at the right hand 
of His Father. 

Q. Did Christ intend that the apostles should ask 
Him to tell in plain words where He was going? 

A. Certainly. He wished them to ask Him whither 
He was going, because when they would hear that 
by means of His passion and death He would go to 
His glory and the possession of His kingdom, and 
when they would know the graces and recompenses 
He would obtain for them from His Father, they 
would be in great part consoled for their painful 
separation from Him. 

Q. What did Christ say to His apostles that rilled 
their hearts with sorrow? 

A. Christ had just told them that He could re- 
main with them but a short time, and they could not 
follow Him whither He was going; and now He an- 
nounced to them that after His departure they would 
be persecuted, and their persecutors would imagine 
that they were serving God in putting them to 
death. The departure of their Master, and the pre- 
diction of the sufferings to which they were to be 
9 



I30 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

exposed, increased the sadness of their yet weak 
hearts. 

Q. Did not Jesus console them? 

A. He abundantly consoled them by adding: "I 
tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go;" 
as if He intended to say that they were equally mis- 
taken if they felt sorry because He was about to 
leave them, inasmuch as it was for their own bene- 
fit, for He would send them the Holy Ghost, Who 
would not come if He did not ascend into heaven in 
order to send Him. To understand how consoling 
these words were to the apostles it is necessary to 
know that Paraclete means Consoler, and hence when 
Jesus promised them the Divine Paraclete they had 
nothing to fear on account of the absence of their 
Divine Master or the persecutions of their enemies. 

Q. What sin was that of which the Holy Ghost 
would convince the world? 

A. Our Divine Master indicated what this sin was 
by saying, "because they believed not in Me." In 
spite of all the proofs, the Jews did not acknowledge 
Jesus as the expected Messias, and the Gentiles did 
not even think of Him, nor had they so far accepted 
His doctrine. The Jews therefore sinned by their in- 
credulity, their obstinacy, and their injustice, and these 
sins were the cause of many others, especially that 
of hatred, of envy, and of murder. The Gentiles on 
the other hand were engulfed in the mire of their 
passions without knowing their miserable condition. 
But after the Holy Ghost had bestowed His gifts 
on the apostles the world would know the injustice 
of the Jews and the guilt of the Gentiles; then the 
whole world would be convinced that Christ was 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 1 3 1* 

truly the envoy sent by God, the Saviour of the world, 
the only One Who could lead us to eternal life. 

Q. How was the Holy Ghost to convince the world 
of justice? 

A. First of all, we must take the word justice in 
its true sense. Justice consists in the rectitude of 
the mind, in the innocence of the heart, and in the 
integrity of morals. He who always thinks of God, 
as he is strictly bound to do, whose affections are 
well regulated, loving, desiring what is good, fearing 
and avoiding what is evil, he who does good and 
not evil, he is, strictly speaking, a just man. Now 
we may judge whether the Jews and the Gentiles 
had this justice. The Gentiles professed false doc- 
trines, they were corrupt in heart, and followed 
their passions, and therefore they regarded the re- 
ligion of Christ as foolishness. The Jews, holding 
that sanctity consisted in the scrupulous observance 
of the legal ceremonies, persecuted the Envoy of 
heaven and believed they had gained great merit in 
the sight of God by putting Him to death. Now who 
was to undeceive both Jew and Gentile? Who was 
to teach them in what consisted true sanctity and true 
justice? Who was to give all creatures the tangible 
proofs of the sanctity, excellence, and greatness of 
Jesus Christ? It was the Holy Ghost; and the 
rapid and triumphant progress of the gospel is a 
proof thereof. 

Q. Finally, how was the Holy Ghost to convince the 
world of judgment? 

A. The Holy Ghost was to make known how false 
the judgment of the world was in regard to God, in 
regard to Christ, and in regard to the precepts of 



132 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



morality, because, as the Divine Master had said, the 
prince of this world was already judged, and was to 
be dethroned by the passion and death of the Re- 
deemer. As soon as the apostles, filled with the 
Holy Ghost, preached the truths of the gospel, it 
was made known how deceived the Jews and Gentiles 
had been in their judgments; and the prince of the 
world, that is, the devil, who was the cause of such 
false judgments, finally lost that tyrannical power 
which up to that time he had exercised over their 
minds and hearts. Thus Christ a few hours before 
His death foretold that deliverance of men and that 
overthrow of the devil's power which the Holy Ghost 
accomplished after Pentecost. 

Q. What did Christ mean when He said that He 
had many other things to tell them, but which they 
could not then understand ? 

A. We know very well how much the apostles did 
in founding the Church. They developed mysteries 
that are merely mentioned in the gospel, they fixed 
the discipline that was to be practised, they insti- 
tuted the hierarchy of the clergy, determined the order 
of deacons, priests, and bishops, and founded the 
minor churches. We know also that when Christ 
thus spoke to them they were as yet ignorant, timid, 
and inconstant, and that by the power of the Holy 
Ghost they were to be transformed into new men. 
As long as they had not received the Holy Ghost they 
were not disposed to receive all the instructions neces- 
sary for so great an undertaking, and therefore Christ 
said that He had much more to tell them, but which 
they at present were not able to understand, and that 
the Holy Ghost would make it known to them. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



Q. Why do you say this? 

A. Consider the words that follow and you will 
no longer doubt it. The divine Redeemer said that 
when the Holy Ghost would come to the apostles He 
would teach them all truth, that is, He would tell 
them all that was to be done to establish the Church 
in the whole world. From this you see that Christ 
sent the Holy Ghost to instruct the apostles in all 
those things which on that evening they could not 
understand; and all which they afterward did and 
ordained in the Church of Christ was taught them by 
the Holy Ghost, Who constantly directed them in all 
things. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 

A. Seeing the apostles filled with sorrow because 
they must separate from their divine Master, we 
should learn how great our sorrow ought to be when 
of our own accord we separate ourselves from Christ 
by sin ; and learning how necessary the Holy Ghost 
was to the apostles, we should always invoke Him 
that He may also instruct us in the truths of the faith, 
and guide our steps on the way of evangelical per- 
fection. 



A amen, I say to you : if you ask the Father anything 
in My name, He will give it you. Hitherto you have not 
asked anything in My name : Ask, and you shall receive, 
that your joy may be full. These things I have spoken to 
you in proverbs. The hour cometh when I will no more 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



Gospel: St. John xvi. 23-30. 




disciples: "Amen 



134 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



speak to you in proverbs, but will show you plainly of the 
Father. In that day you shall ask in My name: and I say 
not to you that I will ask the Father for you. For the 
Father Himself loveth you, because you have loved Me, 
and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth 
from the Father, and am come into the world r- again I 
leave the world, and I go to the Father. His disciples 
say to Him : Behold now Thou speakest plainly, and 
speakest no proverb. Now we know that Thou knowest 
all things, and Thou needest not that any man should ask 
Thee. By this we believe that Thou comest forth from 
God." 

Q. What did Christ promise the apostles in these 
words ? 

A. He promised the apostles, and all Christians, 
that His Eternal Father would grant them all graces 
when they ask for them in His name. 

Q. Why may we hope to be always heard if we 
pray in the name of Jesus? 

A. We know who Christ is, and what His merits 
are. He is the object of the complacency of the 
Father ; He is the mediator between God and man ; 
He it is upon Whom glory has been bestowed in 
preference to all creatures, because by His obedience 
and by His death He has merited the mercy, the 
adoption, and the benediction of the Father; and He 
has made us His brethren, His members, and co-heirs 
of His glory. The granting therefore of what we 
may ask of the Father in the name of Jesus will 
always be considered by Him as an act of mercy and 
grace toward us, and as an act of justice in regard to 
the infinite merits of Christ. Remember, however, 
that our prayers cannot be said to have been made 
in the name of Jesus when we ask for things that are 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 1 35 

not according to the spirit of Christ, and not expe- 
dient for our eternal welfare. 

Q. If Christ made such a promise, why do we so 
often fail to receive what we ask for? 

A. St. James the apostle says: "You ask and do 
not obtain because you ask amiss." St. Thomas 
says : " Some pray and at the same time are attached 
to sin, some do not pray as they ought, and some 
pray for things that are not good, or at least of no 
benefit to their soul, and therefore their prayers are 
not heard." If, however, they are sorry for their sins 
and pray in the proper manner for spiritual graces, 
and in the name of Jesus, the Eternal Father will 
grant their request. 

Q. Why did Christ say that hitherto they had not 
asked in His name? 

A. This is a matter of fact. The apostles were al- 
ways with their Master, they looked to Him for what 
they wanted, and hence they never had recourse to the 
Eternal Father to obtain graces in His name. Now, 
Christ being about to leave them, He exhorts them 
henceforth to have recourse to His Father and pray 
to Him in His name, assuring them that on account 
of His merits the Father would hear their prayers, 
and console them in the trials of this world in which 
He was leaving them. 

Q. Why does He say that hitherto He had spoken 
to them in proverbs? 

A. The word "proverb" signifies a parable and also 
an enigma, and Jesus had hitherto made use of par- 
ables and enigmas in speaking to the apostles. You 
will recollect that He spoke to them in parables 
which they could not understand ; even in the present 



136 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 



discourse He said that after a little while they would 
not see Him, because He was going to the Father; 
that the Holy Spirit would come, and that their sor- 
row would be turned into joy ; but all these words 
were to the apostles so many enigmas, the meaning 
of which they did not know. On this account He now 
promises them, that He will henceforth speak to them 
in plain words by the voice of the Holy Ghost, and 
that nothing would be obscure or hard for them 
to understand. After Pentecost the apostles under- 
stood all, and spoke of the most sublime truths with 
wonderful clearness. 

Q. What else did Christ promise? 

A. He promised that the Holy Ghost would suggest 
to them what they should ask for, and that they would 
obtain their request from the Father without His be- 
ing with them on earth ; because the Eternal Father 
loved them on account of their faith in and love for 
Him, the Master. Let us love Him, and the Eternal 
Father will love us and will be always ready to hear 
our prayers. 

Q. What did Christ mean when He said : " I came 
forth from the Father, and am come into the world ; 
and I go to the Father "? 

A. The Divine Word is generated by the Father be- 
fore all ages, but in time He came into the world and 
assumed our own flesh. With that very same flesh 
He was, within a few days, to return to the Father, 
as His ascension into heaven was near at hand. 
Therefore with the above words He taught His divine 
generation, His incarnation, and His glorious ascen- 
sion into heaven. The apostles understood all this 
and were confirmed in their faith, and hence they 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION. 1 37 

declared : " Behold now Thou speakest plainly. . . . 
By this we believe that Thou comest forth from God." 

Q. What are we to learn from all this? 

A. We should learn to grow in faith and in Christian 
hope ; we should learn to pray in such a manner that 
our progress may be pleasing to the Eternal Father, 
so that we may obtain those graces for which we pray 
through Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ, and with Jesus 
Christ. 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE 
ASCENSION. 

Gospel: St. John xv. 26-27; xv i- I_ 4- 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "When the 
Paraclete cometh Whom I will send you from the 
Father, the Spirit of truth, Who proceedeth from the Father, 
He shall give testimony of Me. And you shall give testi- 
mony, because you are with Me from the beginning. These 
things have I spoken to you, that you may not be scandal- 
ized. They will put you out of the synagogues: yea, the 
hour cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he 
doth a service to God. And these things will they do to 
you, because they have not known the Father nor Me. 
But these things I have told you that when the hour of 
them shall come, you may remember that I told you." 

Q. What did Christ promise here? 

A. He promised that the Holy Ghost would give 
testimony of His divine mission, and of the truth of 
His doctrine. The promise was fulfilled. The world 
has acknowledged Jesus to be the only-begotten Word 
clothed with our flesh ; it has recognized Him to be 



138 SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION. 

the Messias foretold by the prophets and foreshadowed 
in the law ; it was convinced of the holiness of His 
doctrine, by which truths not known before were 
taught, and precepts inculcated worthy of the God 
Who taught them and worthy of man who was called 
to put them in practice with the help of divine grace. 

Q. How were the apostles to give testimony of 
Jesus Christ? 

A. The apostles were the first to know Him and to 
be intimately associated with Him ; they were, there- 
fore, witnesses of all He did and said. But, although 
they were constantly with Him, spoke with Him, saw 
all His actions, they did not always understand His 
words nor know the object of His actions. But after 
having received the Holy Ghost they remembered and 
understood all they had seen and heard during the 
three years of Christ's public life, and from all this they 
gathered the materials to teach the nations, to ex- 
plain the truth, and to establish the discipline of that 
Church of which they were to be the founders through- 
out the world. They would preach to the nations the 
divinity of Christ and the truths of faith ; they would 
say : We have heard with our own ears and seen with 
our own eyes all the things which we announce to you ; 
and thus they would give testimony of Christ. 

Q. Why did Christ say: "These things I have 
spoken to you, that you may not be scandalized "? 

A. Christ sent the apostles to preach the gospel. 
Now what would they think of Him when they would 
find that they raised a most furious persecution 
against themselves, that they were everywhere hunt- 
ed to death and abandoned to the fury of their ene- 
mies? They might have been tempted to believe 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION. 1 39 

that they had been betrayed and sacrificed by the 
Divine Master. Wherefore Christ told them all they 
would have to suffer, and by so doing He gave an- 
other proof of His divinity and also of His power to 
help them in the battles they were to fight in His 
name; and thus He anticipated and obviated all, in 
order that they might not lose their faith when those 
trials came upon them. 

Q. What advantage did the apostles derive from 
these predictions? 

A. St. Gregory says that a wound is less painful 
when it has been foreseen, and these predictions had 
this effect on the apostles, that the persecutions 
would be less painful, inasmuch as they expected 
them. Moreover, they would rejoice in the midst of 
those persecutions at beholding the predictions of 
their Divine Master fully verified, and the more their 
faith was strengthened the more they were encour- 
aged by the hope of the reward which they were to 
gain by their sufferings. 

Q. Were all these words intended only for the 
apostles? 

A. In a certain sense they were also intended for 
us. We also bear witness to Jesus, by leading a life 
according to His holy law ; we also, by sincerely pro- 
fessing the faith and by observing the laws of the 
gospel, may expect, as St. Paul says, to be persecuted; 
we also who find ourselves objects of persecution 
must be encouraged by the hope of our eternal re- 
ward in heaven, 



140 



PENTECOST SUNDAY. 



PENTECOST SUNDAY. 
Gospel: St. John xiv. 23-31. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "If any one 
love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will 
love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our 
abode with him. He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My 
words. And the word which you have heard is not Mine: 
but the Father's Who sent Me. These things have I 
spoken to you, abiding with you. But the Paraclete, the 
Holy Ghost, AVhom the Father will send in My name, He 
will teach you all things, and bring all things to your 
mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. Peace I leave 
with you ; My peace I give unto you : not as the world 
giveth do I give unto you. Let not your heart be 
troubled, nor let it be afraid. You have heard that I 
said to you : I go away and come again to you. If you 
loved Me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to 
the Father: for the Father is greater than I. And now I 
have told you before it came to pass: that when it shall 
come to pass you may believe. I will not now speak many 
things with you ; for the prince of this world cometh, and 
in Me he hath not anything. But that the world may 
know that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given 
Me commandment, so do I. Arise, let us go hence." 

Q. What does Jesus mean by the first words of 
this Gospel? 

A. He tells those who sincerely love Him that they 
will show this love for Him by faithfully observing 
His precepts, and that in return for their love the 
Eternal Father will love them and, together with 
Himself and the Holy Ghost, will come to them, not 
only with His grace to preserve them in righteousness, 



PENTECOST SUNDAY 



to urge them to be perfect, to protect them and to en- 
rich them with His blessings, but also to abide with 
them, to unite them to Himself, to make them a liv- 
ing temple of His divine majesty. Alas, our mind is 
too weak to understand the greatness of such a favor 
and of such a reward ! 

Q. How can you prove that he who loves not Christ 
does not keep His word ? 

A. A moment's reflection makes this evident. 
Look at those who love not Christ, and consider their 
conduct. Are they anxious to haA T e Him for a friend, 
or do they appreciate what He has done for them? 
Do not many of them wish Him to be banished from 
the hearts of men? Are not even those who are not 
entirely wicked as indifferent toward Him as if He 
had never done anything for mankind ? If you wish 
to know whether you love Christ, follow the advice 
of St. Gregory, and ask your own mind, tongue, and 
conduct. If you do not think of Him, if you do not 
speak of Him, if your manner of living is contrary 
to His law, you do not love Him. 

Q. How are we to understand the other words re- 
lating to the Holy Ghost? 

A. By these words Christ promised the apostles and 
His faithful followers that when He should leave this 
world and go to His Father, He would send the Holy 
Ghost, Who would be the teacher and consoler of the 
apostles and of all true Christians. The apostles had 
heard many things from Christ which they would fail 
to remember or could not understand. Hence the 
necessity of a teacher who would recall to their mem- 
ory and assist them in understanding the things they 
had heard. Moreover, they were about to assume the 



142 



PENTECOST SUNDAY. 



arduous duties of the apostolate, they were to suffer 
all kinds of persecutions, and hence the promise of a 
comforter who would console them in all their afflic- 
tions. We all know the sublime manner in which 
these promises were fulfilled in reference to the apos- 
tles, and we all know, so far as we ourselves are con- 
cerned, that we cannot understand the profound mean- 
ing of the doctrines of Christ which we hear from the 
ministers of the Church unless the Holy Ghost be our 
teacher. And if in the trials of life we are patient 
and resigned, it is the gift of that Comforter Whom 
Christ promised us in the person of the Holy Ghost. 

Q. What is that peace which Jesus Christ left us? 

A. Consider Christ to have spoken thus: I am 
about to leave you, but I leave as an inheritance My 
benediction, by which I wish you every kind of good; 
not that apparent good which the world wishes you, but 
the good I wish you is real, efficacious, and fruitful unto 
all eternity. I leave you peace of mind, simplicity of 
heart, the bond of affection, charity, contentedness, 
courage, and the strength to acquire eternal glory, 
and to lead others to the same. Oh, what a consola- 
tion for us to know that these precious words did not 
stop with the apostles, but came down also directly 
to us ! 

Q. Why did He say that He would not speak many 
things with them, because the prince of this world 
was coming, who had no power over Him? 

A. Do not forget that this discourse was held with 
the apostles on the evening before His passion. He 
therefore had only a few moments to speak to them. 
The horrible plan of His death had already been de- 
cided on by the synagogue, the devil was urging the 



PENTECOST SUNDAY. 



143 



Jews to accomplish the crime, the traitor was at the 
head of the mob, yet neither the devil nor His enemies 
could have prevailed against Him, if He had not vol- 
untarily given Himself up to them, in order to obey 
His Eternal Father. Therefore we see how Christ 
before He commenced His passion told the apostles 
what was to come, and how, in order to confirm His 
promise in regard to the Holy Ghost, He declared that 
He would suffer solely of His own accord and to do the 
will of His Eternal Father. 

Q. When did Jesus fulfil His promise of sending 
the Holy Ghost? 

A. The promise was fulfilled on Pentecost when 
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a 
mighty wind, and at the same time there appeared 
cleft tongues, as it were, of fire, that rested on each 
one of the disciples, who for several days had been to- 
gether in a room praying. 

Q. Why did the Holy Ghost come down upon the 
apostles in this manner? 

A. The Holy Ghost did so in order to manifest Him- 
self in a visible manner, for, says St. Gregory of Na- 
zianzen, if the Divine Word assumed a real body and 
thus lived among us, it was proper that the Holy Ghost 
should also manifest Himself to man in a visible 
manner. 

Q. But why did He manifest Himself in the form 
of fiery tongues, and why was His coming preceded 
by a strong wind? 

A. The Holy Ghost has always assumed different 
forms according to the nature of His works. When 
Christ was baptized in the river Jordan He appeared 
in the form of a dove, which is innocent, fruitful, and 



144 



PENTECOST SUNDAY. 



the bearer of peace, in order to signify Christ's inno- 
cence, the object of His mission, and the fruitfulness 
of His works. He appeared at the transfiguration of 
Christ on Mt. Thabor in the form of a resplendent 
cloud covering the Redeemer, Moses, Elias, the apos- 
tles, and the summit of the mountain, to indicate that 
He directed the prophets, the law, Christ, and the 
apostles, and that He protects and renders the Church 
fruitful. Lastly, He appeared on Pentecost under a 
new form, which clearly indicated the wonders of 
which He was the worker. 

Q. What did the strong wind and the fiery tongues 
signify ? 

A. The strong wind signified the power and the 
energy with which the Holy Ghost came upon the 
apostles, in order to render them strong, active, and 
courageous in attacking, fighting, and conquering the 
world ; the fire signified that ardor of charity which 
was to purify, enlighten, inflame, and raise the mind 
and. heart of man to heaven ; the tongues signified that 
divine science, triumphant eloquence, and knowledge 
of all languages, of which the apostles would make so 
great use in converting the world. 

Q. What were the effects of the descent of the Holy 
Ghost upon the apostles ? 

A. The principal effects were : The apostles were 
full of imperfections, and the Holy Ghost made them 
saints, that henceforth in all their thoughts, desires, 
affections, words, actions, and endeavors they were 
moved by God, they sought God, and referred them- 
selves to God. They were ignorant, and now they 
knew all the mysteries, and they cited and explained 
the Holy Scriptures; they established the deposit of 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



145 



truth ; and they became the teachers of the Catholic 
faith. They were timid and apprehensive, and from 
that moment they were courageous and brave, so that 
they feared not the cruelty of tyrants. We can say with 
St. Gregory: Behold that Peter rejoicing at the sound 
of the scourge who before trembled at a word ; and 
he who was frightened at the voice of a servant girl, 
having received the Holy Ghost, smiles in the ty- 
rant's face who has caused his shoulders to be torn. 

Q. What are we to do on this day? 

A. We should admire and adore the power of the 
Holy Ghost, and beseech Him to renew His wonders 
in our souls, and render thanks to God Who, on that 
day and in such manner, accomplished the mysteries 
of the faith and the establishment of His holy Church. 

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. OR TRINITY 
SUN DA Y. 

Gospel: St. Luke vi. 36-42. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: " Be ye merci- 
ful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and 
you shall not be judged : condemn not, and you shall not 
be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. 
Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and 
pressed down and shaken together and running over shall 
they give into your bosom. For with the same measure 
that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you 
again. And He spoke also to them a similitude: Can the 
blind lead the blind? do they not both fall into the ditch? 
The disciple is not above his master: but every one shall 
be perfect, if he be as his master. And why seest thou 
the mote in thy brother's eye, but the beam that is in 
thy own eye thou considerest not? Or how canst thou 
10 



146 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



say to thy brother: Brother, let me pull the mote out of 
thy eye, when thou thyself seest not the beam in thy 
own eye. Hypocrite, cast first the beam out of thy own 
eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to take out the mote 
from thy brother's eye." 

Q. What does Christ exhort us to do in this Gospel? 

A. After having commanded His disciples, and 
in their person us also, to be as perfect as the Heav- 
enly Father, He makes known to them that the first 
step to take to be so is to be charitable toward our 
neighbor, as God is full of charity toward us. The 
object of the whole discourse is to commend the 
principal works of mercy, and to censure that pride 
and false piety which causes us to see the faults of 
our neighbor but not our own, and thus to have no 
mercy for our neighbor. 

Q. Which are the principal works of mercy com- 
manded in this Gospel? 

A. The first is not to judge others rashly; the sec- 
ond is not to condemn him who has fallen ; the third 
is to pardon him who has offended us ; and the fourth 
is to give alms or in other ways help those who need 
our help. 

Q. Is it a sin to judge the actions of others? 

A. The Holy Ghost tells us not to trouble ourselves 
with things that do not concern us. If, therefore, our 
neighbor does something that is not praiseworthy, as 
long as it does not interfere with our affairs and our 
conscience, charity commands us to close our eyes and 
not take notice of it. Charity much more forbids us 
to judge our neighbors' actions upon grounds that are 
insufficient and more imaginary than real. Hence 
Christ in this passage of the Gospel commands us not 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 147 

to judge rashly of our neighbors' actions; that is, 
without having positive reasons. However, let us 
reflect that if, judging from appearances, the conduct 
of our neighbor is not praiseworthy, then we can and 
should be on our guard and avoid all intercourse with 
him, so that our reputation and conscience may not 
suffer. 

Q. Is it against charity to condemn any one who 
sins? 

A. St. Bernard says: When the failings of your 
brother cannot be denied, excuse the intention, attrib- 
ute them to ignorance or surprise ; have compassion 
on his weakness, and think that you might have done 
the very same under similar circumstances. This is 
the law of charity. Some one has said a word that is 
positively bad; are we sure that he knew the full 
meaning of it? Another has done something that is 
not very good ; are we sure that he did it intention- 
ally and with reflection? Again, one has given way 
to a fit of anger ; do we know whether, under the cir- 
cumstances, he had time to repress the passion? An- 
other's sin is evident; but would we under similar 
circumstances have been more faithful to God? Char- 
ity commands us to excuse our brethren, and Jesus 
Christ gives us this command in this day's Gospel. 

Q. What are we to think of the other suggestion 
in which He tells us to pardon? 

A. It is a most just, holy, and wholesome sugges- 
tion. The Pharisees had brought a woman to Christ 
who had been caught in actual sin, and according to 
the law she should be stoned to death. Jesus wrote 
some words on the ground and then said . " He 
that is without sin among you let him first cast a 



14$ FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

stone" (John viii. 7). We may very appropriately 
apply these words to ourselves. He that needs no 
pardon from God may refuse to pardon his neighbor. 
God will forgive us in the same degree that we forgive 
others. How just, holy, and beneficial is not, there- 
fore, the command Christ gives us here. 

Q. Why are we to give to others what belongs 
to us? 

A. Mark well that by the words of Christ we are 
bound in charity to give to others only what is super- 
fluous to us. Whatever is not necessary for us, ac- 
cording to our state in life, is not our own, but God's, 
Who gives it to us so that we may gain merit by giv- 
ing it to the poor. If we were in want, what would 
our wish be? Certainly that others would have com- 
passion on us and help us. Therefore charity requires 
that we do for others what we wish for ourselves. 
Hence, if our neighbor be in want we must help 
him by giving him as alms what is superfluous to 
us, or we must at least lend him what we do not 
need. 

Q. What reward does Christ promise us for all 
this? 

A. If we close our eyes in order not to see the 
faults of our neighbor, God will mercifully close His 
eyes to ours. If we do not judge, but rather have 
compassion on others, God will not judge, He will 
compassionate our failings. If we pardon our neigh- 
bor, God will pardon us ; and if we give charity to 
the needy, God will give us the treasures of His grace. 
In a word, as we treat our neighbor God will treat us , 
with this difference, however, that we do good to 
others as men whose power is limited, whereas God 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



149 



will favor us with a power that is infinite, and with a 
generosity altogether His own. 

Q. What are the vices that prevent us from doing 
the above works of charity? 

A. They are pride and false piety, that is, hypoc- 
risy. The proud man thinks he knows all, sees all, 
and whatever he does he does well. Therefore as a 
king he condemns all those who do not act as he 
does; ordinarily speaking, he is cruel, he does not 
forgive, and never gives alms. The hypocrites are 
extremely severe with others whilst they are exceed- 
ingly indulgent to themselves, and therefore you will 
look in vain for Christian charity in the proud or in 
the hypocrite. They fancy themselves full of good 
works, whereas in reality they are like clouds in 
summer that pass away without letting a drop of rain 
fall upon the parched earth. 

Q. What lesson are we to learn from the words " the 
blind cannot lead the blind"? 

A. We are to learn that we should not assume 
charge of others, if we have not sufficient knowledge 
to properly discharge our duty; besides, we should 
trust only those who, on account of their probity and 
knowledge, deserve our confidence. An ignorant, im- 
moral, and worldly counsellor can but drag our soul 
after him into the abyss. 

Q. Who are they who see the mote in their broth- 
er's eye, but see not the beam in their own? 

A. They are those false devotees and proud people 
who notice the most trifling faults of their neighbor, 
and care not about their own misdeeds and sins. 
Christ tells these they should first correct their own 
wicked ways before they presume to correct others; 



i5° 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



and hence, if we wish to avoid the reproach of the 
Divine Master, we must pay attention to our own fail- 
ings, and not busy ourselves with our neighbors' 
unless duty or charity should command it. 



A able: "A certain man made a great supper, and 
invited many. And he sent his servant at the hour of 
supper to say to them that were invited that they should 
come, for now all things are ready. And they began all 
at once to make excuse. The first said to him : I have 
bought a farm, and I must needs go out and see it: I 
pray thee, hold me excused. And another said- I have 
bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to try them : I pray 
thee, hold me excused. And another said: I have mar- 
ried a wife, and therefore I cannot come. And the ser- 
vant returning told these things to his lord. Then the 
master of the house, being angry, said to his servant: Go 
out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring 
in hither the poor and the feeble and the blind and the 
lame. And the servant said: Lord, it is done as thou 
hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord 
said to the servant: Go out into the highways and hedges; 
and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 
But I say unto you, that none of those men that were 
invited shall taste of my supper. " 

Q. Who is this man who prepares the supper, and 
what supper is it that is called great? 

A. All agree that this man is our good God, Who 
places His treasures at the disposal of His friends, 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



Gospel: St. Luke xiv. 16-24. 




Pharisees this par- 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 151 

that is, our souls, and invites His creatures to nourish 
themselves at His heavenly banquet, which is replen- 
ished with all sweetness and delights. In regard to 
the supper we must, first of all, observe that dinner 
and supper are different in this : that work is stopped 
to take dinner, and after, the work is generally re- 
sumed, and man is once more taken up with the cares 
and anxieties of life ; but after supper he works no 
more, he retires to rest, and in the sweet embraces of 
sleep he forgets all that afflicts his mind and body. 
Hence all the sacred interpreters say that the nuptial 
banquet or the dinner mentioned in the eighth chapter 
of St. Matthew, signifies the vocation to the faith, after 
which there is much work to be done, and much 
to suffer in the practice of the Christian life. The 
supper, however, mentioned in this day's Gospel sig- 
nifies the entrance into paradise, after which there is 
perfect peace and rest, and nothing to disturb the 
mind or tire the body. Many, however, recognize in 
this supper the holy Eucharistic table, and that most 
precious food that is taken by receiving the Most Holy 
Sacrament. 

Q. In what does the supper resemble the Most Holy 
Eucharist? 

A. When the hour for supper has come the work 
or business of the day is done, the meal is taken in 
peace, the time is passed in pleasant conversation, 
and then each retires to rest, during which the tired 
body recovers new strength, the mind gains new vigor, 
and upon rising the following morning all feel re- 
freshed and able to resume their work. Now the 
same happens to the soul when it partakes of the 
Eucharistic table. When a Christian approaches this 



152 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

table with the proper dispositions he forgets entirely 
the cares of the world, he converses confidentially with 
God, his true friend, brother, and father; he enjoys 
peace of mind, during which he recovers from all his 
sufferings ; he receives new strength to battle against 
his spiritual enemies and to carry even heavier crosses, 
and, like a new man, he attempts to climb the high 
mountain of evangelical perfection. 

Q. Of whom are they who refused to come to the 
supper a figure? 

A. They are the figure of the Christians who, being 
immersed in the cares, pleasures, and vanities of the 
world, do not care to receive the Holy Sacrament, 
and do not prepare themselves to enter into the 
heavenly rest, thus showing by their actions that they 
refuse to be of the number of the elect. 

Q. And of whom are the poor, the feeble, the 
blind, and the lame that were invited to the supper 
a figure? 

A. From this we learn that God, in bestowing Hir 
favors, has no regard for high birth, riches, talents, 
beauty, or other personal advantages ; so much so that 
the poor and lowly are treated kindly by Him, and 
sometimes even better than the great of the world. 
It is not only the perfect that are called to nourish 
themselves at the Eucharistic table, but also those 
who are poor in merits, blind according to the spirit, 
ignorant and less constant in the divine service ; for 
by virtue of this heavenly bread they will become rich 
in grace, gain strength, be enlightened, and be ren- 
dered able to make greater progress in virtue. Let 
timid souls impress this lesson of the parable on their 
minds, and draw therefrom comfort and consolation, 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



153 



Q. What are we to say of the master of the house 
who was angry at those who excused themselves? 

A. Woe to those who do not heed God's invita- 
tion ! A day will come when they will no more hear 
that voice inviting them to taste the delights of para- 
dise. The Jews, of Avhom those who refused to attend 
the supper were a figure, did not heed the words of 
the Divine Master, and they were abandoned to their 
sad fate. All who resist the voice of God, Who calls 
them to eternal happiness in so many different ways, 
will find that they are excluded therefrom. As we 
have applied the parable to the Blessed Sacrament, 
let us reflect that he who, on account of worldly cares 
or of a sinful life, does not receive this sacrament 
runs the greatest risk of being deprived of it at the 
hour of death, because then Jesus Christ will refuse 
to be the food of those ungrateful ones who turned 
away from Him when He most lovingly invited them 
during life to partake of His table. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 
Gospel: St. Luke xv. 1-10. 

AT that time : " The publicans and sinners drew near 
unto Jesus to hear Him. And the Pharisees and 
the scribes murmured, saying: This man receiveth sin- 
ners and eateth with them. And He spoke to them this 
parable, saying: What man of you that hath an hundred 
sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave 
the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was 
lost until he find it? iVnd when he hath found it, lay it 
upon his shoulders rejoicing, and coming home call to- 
gether his friends and neighbors, saying to them ; Re- 



154 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



joice with me, because I have found my sheep that was 
lost? I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in 
heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than 
upon ninety-nine just who need not penance. Or what 
woman having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not 
light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently 
until she find it? And when she hath found it, call to- 
gether her friends and neighbors, saying: Rejoice with 
me, because I have found the groat which I had lost. 
So I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of 
God upon one sinner doing penance." 

Q. What are we to think of those sinners who 
gathered about Christ, and of Him Who received 
them? 

A. We are to admire the goodness of the Divine 
Redeemer, and it would be well if all Christians 
would imitate those publicans. They heard, as we 
read in St. Matthew, that the divine Redeemer in- 
vited all to do penance because the kingdom of 
heaven was nigh, and therefore they came to Him 
and they were well received. Happy they who vol- 
untarily go to hear the doctrine of Christ preached 
by His ministers! This is, generally speaking, the 
first step toward repentance and perfection. The 
internal inspirations and the impulses of our heart 
which we experience in hearing the word of God 
are a proof of the kind welcome which Jesus Christ 
is accustomed to give us. 

Q. Why did the Pharisees and scribes murmur? 

A. They did not know, or, rather, did not wish to 
know, that a truly just man always feels compassion 
for sinners, and that the saints have always desired 
and endeavored to promote their conversion and eter- 
nal welfare. The proud and hypocritical Pharisees 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 155 

avoided public sinners, as if they would have been 
contaminated by permitting sinners to come near to 
them, and they wanted Jesus Christ to do as they did; 
but as He received them kindly, they were angry 
and murmured. Let us learn from the Divine Master 
to be charitable toward him who errs, and let us 
avoid the pride and hard-heartedness of the Phari- 
sees. 

Q. What is the object of this parable? 

A. By this parable Christ wished to excuse sinners, 
He desired to encourage them to be converted, and 
to let them know how dear they are to the most mer- 
ciful God, Who goes in search of the lost, Who helps 
them with His grace in their repentance, and Who 
rejoices with His angels in heaven when they return 
to the path that leads to salvation. 

Q. Where do we find excuse for sinners? 

A. We find it in the parable where Christ compares 
a sinner to a sheep. The sheep is a very simple 
and dull animal which, while grazing in the field, 
does not notice that it has left the fold. It is lost, 
and when lost does not know the way back to the 
fold. It seems, therefore, that when Christ com- 
pared the sinner to a sheep He intended to say that 
the sinner goes astray from the true path and from 
God through pure and natural ignorance; because, 
being dazzled and delighted by the things of the 
world, he follows them; he separates himself from 
the just without knowing it, and, lost in the desert 
of this world, he does not know his misfortune and 
has not, humanly speaking, the means of return- 
ing again, if God in His infinite mercy does not go 
in search of him and rescues him, 



156 THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Q. Where do we find encouragement for sinners? 

A. We find it where Christ compares Himself to 
the shepherd by pointing out his labors and conduct. 
From the words of the Divine Master we see that as 
soon as the shepherd missed the lost sheep he hast- 
ened after it, and when he found it he did not 
frighten it with reproaches, nor punish it, nor com- 
pel it to walk; but, calling it by name, he folds it in 
his arms, and pitying its weariness, he carries it on 
his shoulders to the fold, and calls his friends to- 
gether to rejoice with him for having brought back 
to the fold an unfortunate one which was in danger 
of being devoured by the wolves. What greater en- 
couragement is there for the sinner who sees in the 
lost sheep his own condition and in the conduct of 
the shepherd the infinite mercy of God? 

Q. Can you show me in Christ what we have seen in 
the shepherd? 

A. As the shepherd immediately searches for the 
sheep when he knows it -is lost, so God immediately 
recalled Adam to the right path when he had lost it by 
sin, by announcing to him the fruit of the woman, that 
is, the Saviour, Who was to crush the head of the ser- 
pent. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine in order to 
seek the lost sheep ; and the Divine Word, in order to 
save Adam and his race, left the company of the 
angels and the splendor of His glory, and came to 
dwell on earth under the likeness of a servant. The 
shepherd, having found the sheep, treats it kindly ; and 
the God-man, when he was among sinners, treated 
them with ineffable tenderness, and out of kindness 
for them worked many miracles. The shepherd car- 
ried the sheep on his shoulders, and the God-man car- 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. T 5 7 

ried us on His shoulders, and alone sustained the 
weight of our sins. And as the shepherd called his 
friends to rejoice with him because he had found the 
lost sheep, so the Incarnate Word called all the angels 
to rejoice with Him, when from Mount Olivet He re- 
turned triumphantly to His Father, taking with Him 
those of the human race whom He had rescued from 
hell. 

Q. Can it be said that the same occurs in the con- 
version of every sinner? 

A. When we consider the great remorse the sinner 
feels after having committed sin, the interior voice 
that calls him to repent, the charity with which the 
priest, by the command of Jesus Christ, must re- 
ceive him, the consolation the heart of a true peni- 
tent experiences when receiving absolution, the light, 
the help, and the graces that assist him to return to 
the right path, and to reform his life, the joy of the 
angels and saints at his conversion, we will under- 
stand that God always goes in search of the erring, 
that He treats them with kindness, that He supports 
them by His grace, and that He rejoices at their re- 
turn to Him. 

Q. What is the meaning of the other parable — of 
the woman who seeks the lost groat? 

A. St. Gregory in his thirty-fourth homily says that 
the woman signifies the Divine Wisdom. The coin 
which bears the image of the king is a figure of a soul 
which bears the image of the Creator. The loss of 
the groat is a figure of the fall of man, and the light 
announces the incarnation of the Word, because as 
the light shines through the lamp, so the divinity of 
Christ shone through His humanity. The sweeping 



158 THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

and seeking through the house signifies the Incarnate 
Wisdom that aroused the consciences of men who 
were living tranquilly in their sins, and freed them 
from their errors of intellect and from the corrup- 
tion of their hearts. When the groat was found, our 
soul, made according to the likeness of God, was re- 
deemed and placed on the way of salvation ; and then 
the Infinite Wisdom called justice, mercy, omnipo- 
tence, providence, and all the heavenly powers to re- 
joice with it. Thus we see that the shepherd and the 
woman are figures of Jesus Christ, as the sheep and 
the groat are figures of the sinner. 

Q. Why did the Divine Master conclude by saying 
that there shall be more joy for one repentant sinner 
than for ninety-nine just who need not penance? 

A. St. Gregory sees in the nine groats, and St. Am- 
brose in the ninety-nine sheep, the nine heavenly hie- 
rarchies and the countless choirs of angels who are 
happy in eternal bliss; and in the one lost sheep and 
one lost groat they behold the human race lost by 
sin. And the salvation of man, which is of so great 
advantage to man himself, the cause of so great joy 
to the angels, and of so great glory to God, produced 
unheard-of rejoicing in heaven, not because God 
loved the heavenly spirits less, but because man had 
been restored to eternal life which he had lost by sin. 
Now, in the conversion of each sinner the accidental 
joy of paradise is increased; because, although it is 
perfect, yet it is increased when a soul is rescued 
from hell and restored to God. 

Q. What are we to learn from all this? 
A. Besides understanding the sense and the spirit of 
the parable and the object the Divine Master had in 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 159 

view in telling it, we are to learn to be charitable 
toward sinners, to be zealous for their conversion, to 
be anxious in working out our own conversion, if 
such be our need, and always to thank Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, Who in His infinite mercy came in 
search of us when we were in the state of perdition. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Luke v. i-ii. 

AT that time: " When the multitude pressed upon Jesus 
to hear the word of God, He stood by the Lake of 
Genesareth, and saw two ships standing by the lake, 
but the fishermen were gone out of them and were wash- 
ing their nets. And going up into one of the ships that 
was Simon's, He desired him to draw back a little from 
the land. And sitting He taught the multitude out of 
the ship. Now when He had ceased to speak He said 
to Simon: Launch out into the deep, and let down 
your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said 
to Him : Master, we have labored all the night, and have 
taken nothing, but at Thy word I will let down the 
net. And when they had done this they enclosed a very 
great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. And they 
beckoned to their partners that were in the other ship 
that they should come and help them. And they came 
and filled both the ships, so that they were almost sink- 
ing: which, when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at 
Jesus' knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful 
man, O Lord. For he was wholly astonished, and all 
that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which 
they had taken. And so were also James and John, the 
sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. And Jesus 
saith to Simon: Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt 



l6o FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

catch men. And having brought their ships to land, 
leaving all things, they followed Him. " 

Q. Of what is this ship a figure? 

A. This ship belonged to St. Peter, and St. Am- 
brose says that it is the same which St. Matthew 
speaks of as tossed about by a furious tempest, and 
St. Luke in this day's Gospel describes as overloaded 
with fishes. From this ship Christ taught the people ; 
from it He commanded the wind and the waves; 
from it, although asleep, He saved the apostles from 
drowning. It is, therefore, a figure of the Catholic 
Church, of which St. Peter and his legitimate succes- 
sors are the visible head and foundation. 

Q. How do you compare the Catholic Church to 
the bark of Peter? 

A. The Catholic Church has been exposed from her 
very beginning to the persecutions of paganism, 
heresy, and false philosophy. By the preaching of the 
apostles and their successors she has made immense 
conquests in all parts of the world. In the midst of 
continual vicissitudes she has always had the assistance 
of God, Who watched over her safety and led her to 
victory, although He seemed to sleep and to have 
abandoned her to the fury of her enemies. She 
possesses the truth, and teaches heavenly doctrines 
that are directly opposed to the spirit of the world. 
You will, therefore, recognize in her the bark of 
Peter, now tossed about by the waves, now loaded 
with rich treasures, now triumphing over the tem- 
pests, because Jesus Christ is with her, and as the 
oracle of her Master she teaches whomsoever listens 
to her from, the shore. 

Q. Is there any remark to be made about the or- 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. l6l 

der He gave the apostles to launch out into the deep 
and to let down their nets, after He had ceased to 
speak ? 

A. To launch out into the deep signified the great 
work into which the apostles were to go ; and to let 
down their nets indicated the preaching of the divine 
word by which they were to draw all the nations of 
the earth from the abyss of ignorance and place them 
in the bosom of the Church. It was, therefore, neces- 
sary that Jesus Christ should first teach and finish 
His teaching, since the apostles and their successors 
would have to repeat His very words ; and, when He 
had fully revealed the truth, He sent His apostles to 
preach it to the whole world. Observe, however, 
that if the apostles preached the gospel, they did so 
by the command of Jesus Christ; therefore, no one 
can ever pretend to have the right of preaching the 
gospel unless he has received his mission from the 
legitimate successors of the apostles who are in union 
with their head, the vicar of Jesus Christ. 

Q. What is to be said of the answer of St. Peter? 

A. Peter answered: "Master, we have labored all 
night and have taken nothing, but at Thy word I will 
letdown the net." In the first place we observe that 
we shall always labor in vain if we are not in the com- 
pany of Jesus with His grace. He who does not work 
for God and with God loses his time, and gains noth- 
ing; he may gain for the world but not for heaven. 
Therefore, we shall be indeed unfortunate if, at the 
end of our lives, after having done so much for the 
world, we find that we have gained nothing for eter- 
nity. We admire the obedience of St. Peter, who, 
although the time was not favorable, let down his 
1 1 



162 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



net at the word of his Master; and we also should 
obey him who commands us in God's place, whatever 
reasons we may have for doing the contrary. 

Q. What is meant by the danger of the net break- 
ing? 

A. There is always danger in a crowd, and after 
the whole world wanted to enter the Church and be 
called Christian, the fervor of the faith was diminished. 
The weak in the faith, the disobedient sinners, con- 
tinually threaten to break the mystical net; that is, 
the effect of the word of God. And heretics, schis- 
matics, and false Christians do break it. 

Q. What are we to say of their calling their partners 
to help them ? 

A. We are to learn from this that when we are 
not strong enough to do what is required of us it is 
not sufficient to confess our inability, but we must 
moreover ask those to help us who can do so. A 
father of a family, a teacher, a high official, must al- 
ways ask for the help or advice of competent persons, 
when they cannot alone properly discharge their 
duties toward those committed to their care. 

Q. What are we to say of the great number of 
fishes which they caught? 

A. It was a figure of the most fruitful result of the 
work of the apostles, who, by their preaching, gained 
in a very short time to the faith a great multitude 
of persons of every age, class, and nation. At the 
same time we also learn how fruitful our works will 
be if God is near to us with His grace, and if we un- 
dertake a work in obedience to His word ; for if St. 
Peter, who had worked all night in vain, by obey- 
ing his Divine Master caught so great a number of 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 163 

fishes, our gain will also be very great for eternity if 
we act through obedience. 

Q. Why did Christ permit the apostles to be so 
astonished at what had happened? 

A. This was a very extraordinary grace, of which 
all stand in need who attribute everything to chance 
or to natural causes, and never recognize and adore 
the manifest working of the hand of God, not even in 
the most extraordinary events. Besides, it was a les- 
son to those obstinate unbelievers who, knowing the 
rich and prodigious spiritual draught effected by the 
apostles by preaching the gospel, still refuse to ac- 
knowledge the truth and to confess the divinity of the 
Catholic religion, which has so often been proved be- 
yond all doubt. 

Q. What are we to learn from the events recorded 
in this Gospel? 

A. We are to learn from the multitude to be anx- 
ious to hear the word of God. From St. Peter we 
are to learn to obey Jesus Christ, and to humble our- 
selves, having our unworthiness before our eyes, when 
God favors us and makes us the instruments of His 
wonders. From the apostles, who abandoned their 
ships and nets, we are to learn to abandon the things 
of the world, to give up our affections, even our own 
selves, in order to follow the voice of God when He 
vouchsafes to call us. Since Jesus Christ has suffi- 
ciently instructed the world, He has in a certain sense 
finished His discourse, so far as we are concerned; let 
us, therefore, launch out into the deep; let us work, 
and, disengaging our hearts from the world, follow 
our Master on the way to heaven. 



164 



FIFTH SUNDAY A.FTER PENTECOST. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Matthew v. 20-24. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "For I tell 
you, triat unless your justice abound more than that of 
the scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter into the king- 
dom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to them 
of old : Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall 
be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that 
whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger 
of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, 
Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever 
shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire. If 
therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou 
remember that thy brother hath anything against thee, 
leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to 
be reconciled to thy brother; and then coming thou shalt 
offer thy gift." 

Q. What did Christ mean by the first words of this 
Gospel ? 

A. He meant to teach the apostles, and all future 
Christians, that in order to enter into the kingdom 
of heaven it is necessary to be more just and holy 
than the Pharisees claimed to be. The people thought 
the Pharisees were holy and most just men, but their 
justice and sanctity was only apparent and super- 
ficial. They were very exact in the observance of 
the external ceremonies, of the ablutions, and in 
paying the tithes ; but they cared not about the inte- 
rior vices of the heart, and while they appeared to be 
immaculate, they were full of malice and corruption. 
Hence, Christ said that, in order to enter into the 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 165 

kingdom of heaven, it was necessary to be more holy 
than the Pharisees ; that is, to be holy in fact, and not 
merely in appearance. 

Q. And what did He mean by the words that follow ? 

A. He intended to explain fully and to perfect the 
commandment that forbids homicide, by forbidding in- 
ternal feelings of anger, reproachful words, and con- 
tempt, which, like so many steps, lead to the killing of 
our neighbor, endeavoring thus to prevent the viola- 
tion of that commandment in its very birth. 

Q. How are we to understand these words : " Who- 
soever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of 
the judgment" ? 

A. We are to understand that every act and every 
feeling of anger against our neighbor, whether for a 
grave or slight matter, will be judged by God as de- 
serving of punishment, and that He will punish it 
according to its degree of malice. 

Q. How do you explain the other words? 

A. The word Raca, according to St. Jerome, is a 
Hebrew or Syriac word, which means the same as 
simpleton, one good for nothing, etc. Everybody 
knows that such reproachful words are the first ex- 
pressions of anger which go to increase the anger, 
and which are greater sins than the merely internal 
emotion of anger. Hence Christ says that he who 
offends his neighbor by such words shall be sum- 
moned before the council, that is, the sanhedrim, 
composed of the senators of the people, to be sen- 
tenced according to his guilt; which, after mature de- 
liberation, they do according to the greater or lesser 
malice of the culprit. Let us learn from this that 
God will judge the words we utter against our neigh- 



j 66 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



bor ; that He will weigh all the circumstances ; that is, 
whether we uttered such words inadvertently or pur- 
posely, whether we were taken by surprise or not ; 
He will take into consideration who the offended 
person is, and who the culprit; and, according to the 
malice, God will sentence the sinner to the punish- 
ment he deserves, either temporal or eternal. 

Q. Explain these words: "Whosoever shall say 
to his brother, thou fool, shall be guilty of hell-fire." 

A. According to St. Jerome, Christ intended to say 
hell, when He said fire of Gehenna, that is, the fiercest 
fire ; and He declared him guilty of hell who in anger 
would say to his brother, thou fool. However, by 
this parable are understood all those insults or acts 
of contempt which grievously dishonor our neighbor ; 
so that if it be a grievous sin to call another a fool, it 
is much more so to call him a thief, an impostor, or 
libertine, which is so often done. 

Q. What does Christ further command us to do? 

A. He commands us to be reconciled to our neigh- 
bor whom we have offended as soon as possible, and 
to give him satisfaction. The Jews thought they 
could atone for any sin, even for murder, by making 
an offering in the temple; and Jesus Christ com- 
manded them not to make the offering until they 
had made peace with their neighbor, which they 
should do immediately. We, also, are bound by this 
command ; and hence, if we have either in word or 
deed offended a person, before we pray or receive 
the sacraments we should banish from our heart all 
angry feeling ; we should, as soon as possible, give sat- 
isfaction and ask pardon of the person offended ; and 
we should show that we entertain no feelings of re- 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



167 



sentment, and if we have been offended we must be 
ready to forgive. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 

A. We are to learn that to enter into the king- 
dom of heaven we must be really and not apparently 
good ; that is, we must have an upright heart animated 
by charity and subject in all things to the holy law 
of God, always bearing in mind that true justice 
does not consist in the external practices of devotion, 
but rather in the purity of conscience, in the abnega- 
tion of our will, and in the control of our passions. 
We are also to learn to abstain from any act of an- 
ger, and from saying anything that can offend or 
grieve our neighbor. Lastly, we are to learn not to 
be slow in making peace with our neighbor whenever 
we have displeased him, and also not to make a rec- 
onciliation difficult. 



T that time : " When there was a great multitude, 



A and they had nothing to eat, calling His disciples 
together, He saith to them: I have compassion on the 
multitude, for behold they have now been with Me three 
days and have nothing to eat. And if I shall send them 
away fasting to their home they will faint in the way, 
for some of them came from afar off. And His disciples 
answered Him : From whence can any one fill them here 
with bread, m the wilderness? And He asked them: 
How many loaves have ye? Who said: seven. And He 
commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground. 
And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, He broke, 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



Gospel: St. Mark viii. 1-9. 




i68 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



and gave to His disciples to set before them, and they 
set them before the people. And they had a few little 
fishes: and He blessed them, and commanded them to be 
set before them. And they did eat, and were filled, and 
they took up that which was left of the fragments, seven 
baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thou- 
sand: and He sent them away." 

Q. Of whom is this multitude a figure? 

A. It may be said in the first place to be a figure of 
all those who lived before Christ. In the second 
place it was a figure of the Jewish people, and lastly 
of the Gentiles. The first could not behold Christ, 
the Saviour, Whom they so ardently expected. The 
Jew r s had only figures, shadows, and carnal vic- 
tims, w T hich could not nourish their souls ; and the 
Gentiles were dying of hunger, because they had 
nothing but prejudices, evil habits, and vices that 
were leading them to perdition. Happy are we who 
have received the bread of life which nourishes, 
strengthens, and sanctifies our souls in the desert of 
this world ! 

Q. And those who came from afar, of whom are 
they a figure? 

A. They are a figure of the Gentiles. The Jews, 
by the vocation of Abraham and by the law of Moses, 
were on the way to meet the Saviour, and were very 
near to Him, because He was to be born in their 
midst. The Gentiles, on the contrary, w r ere far from 
Him, because their ignorance, their superstitions, and 
their immoralities made them strangers to God and 
placed them out of the way of salvation. Yet they 
also came to hear Christ, they enjoyed the effects of 
His mercy, they were fed with His doctrine, and were 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 169 

nourished with the food of life. As to ourselves, how- 
ever, those persons who came from afar off represent 
those sinners who, like the prodigal son, go to a dis- 
tant country, that is, far from their heavenly home, 
following their passions, and they come, indeed, 
from afar off when they come to hear the word of 
God, by means of which they find God disposed to 
have compassion on them, and to feed them with the 
bread of His grace and to provide for them, that they 
may not grow faint on the road they still have to walk 
in the exercise of penance. What a consolation for 
poor sinners! 

Q. What is to be said of the compassion of Jesus 
Christ? 

A. We are to admire the greatness of His love for 
our souls. We live on this earth as in the midst of a 
desert, where there is nothing that will satisfy our 
souls. But Jesus Christ does not forget our misery ; 
He knows even our least wants; He has a most ten- 
der compassion for us, and He provides abundantly 
for us. 

Q. How do you infer this from the Gospel? 

A. Because Jesus Christ, as St. Gregory says, 
taught sometimes by word of mouth and sometimes 
by His actions. Hence in all that He did to the mul- 
titude in this day's Gospel we see what He continu- 
ally does in our souls. Following the Gospel, we see 
Jesus in the midst of the people, who crowd around 
Him ; He notices how pale and weak they are ; He 
sees the effects of their fast ; He is moved at such a 
sight, and consults with His apostles about supplying 
food for so great a multitude. He causes the little 
they had taken with them for their own use to be 



I JO SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

placed before Him, and had the apostles distribute it 
with the utmost impartiality, giving so abundantly 
that seven baskets of fragments remained. Now, ac- 
cording to the teachings of faith, we should see Jesus 
ever watching over our souls, weighing and measur- 
ing the needs of each one, having pity for all and giv- 
ing forth to all His doctrines, His light, His graces, 
His sacraments, His body, and His merits. All this 
He does by the ministry of His priests, without regard 
to person, sex, or age, and provides all with abundant 
means to live faithful to Him in this world and happy 
with Him in the next. 

Q. What do the seven loaves signify? 

A. According to the sacred interpreters they sig- 
nify the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, which our Di- 
vine Saviour makes use of to preserve the life of our 
soul, strengthening it to walk in the midst of dangers, 
to overcome the temptations, and to grow in virtue 
and Christian perfection. 

Q. And what did the little fishes signify? 

A. Those fishes served to render the bread more 
agreeable to the taste, and they signify all that which 
renders easier the observance of the divine word, 
which is the ordinary food of our soul. The ex- 
ample of Jesus Christ, Who practised all the precepts 
which He gave us in His holy law, the lights which 
our mind receives, the joy our heart feels in doing 
good, the confidence that supports us in leading a 
Christian life in the midst of difficulties — these are 
the exquisite food which renders the observance of 
the commandments easy and pleasant to us. 

Q. What are we to do to make good use of these 
spiritual nourishments ? 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 171 

A. To make good use of these spiritual nourish- 
ments we must pray God to give and preserve in us 
the gift of His habitual grace ; we must receive His 
favors with humility and a deep sense of gratitude ; we 
must put into practice the lights and the instructions 
which we have received, and we must always be 
obedient to the legitimate successors of the apostles, 
who are the dispensers of the food of life. 

Q. What are we to learn from the multitude in this 
day's Gospel? 

A. This multitude remained with Christ for three 
days, and, although they were hungry and had noth- 
ing to relieve their hunger, still they cared not for 
their body, preferring the welfare of their soul to 
the most urgent wants of the body. From this we 
learn to esteem and value highly the word of God, to 
be anxious to hear the same, and to suffer coura- 
geously every bodily inconvenience when there is 
question of the welfare of our soul. 

Q. What are we to learn from Jesus Christ? 

A. We are to learn to have compassion for our 
brethren who are in want, and, as He used the bread 
reserved for Himself and for the apostles to feed the 
people, so also must we take pleasure in depriving 
ourselves of something in order to help the poor. 



172 



SEVENTO SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 
Gospel: St. Matthew vii. 15-21. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "Beware 
of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing 
of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By 
their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes 
of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree 
bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth 
evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, 
neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every 
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down 
and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits 
you shall know them. Not every one that saith to Me, 
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven : but 
he that doth the will of My Father Who is in heaven, he 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." 

Q. Who were called prophets in the Scriptures? 

A. The word prophet means a person who, being 
inspired by God, announces future events and foretells 
what will take place in the remotest times in regard 
to the people and religion by the immutable will of 
the Lord. But the name of prophet was also given to 
all those good and holy men who, in the name of 
God, taught religion to the people; who corrected, ad- 
vised, and consoled them unto eternal life, as circum- 
stances required. 

Q. Of whom, then, did Christ speak in this day's 
Gospel? 

A. As we can call a true prophet a good and 
learned man who, animated by holy zeal, instructs the 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1 73 

people in their religion, corrects their faults, consoles 
them in affliction, so we must call him a false prophet 
who, moved by passion, self-interest, and corrup- 
tion of heart, misleads his neighbor by doctrines con- 
trary to faith and good morals. From this we 
understand that when Jesus tells us to beware of 
false prophets He exhorts us to beware of those false 
teachers who spread error and immorality by the 
false doctrine coming from pride of mind and from a 
corrupt heart. Such false prophets among the Jews 
were the scribes and the doctors of the law, who 
endeavored to keep them away from Christ. False 
prophets in regard to us are all those who, under ap- 
pearance of zeal for religion and love for the truth, 
strive to spread doctrines which do not harmonize 
with the spirit of the gospel. 

Q. Why did Christ say that the false prophets pre- 
sent themselves in the clothing of sheep, whereas 
they are wolves? 

A. Consider the scribes and doctors of the law 
who lived at the time of Christ. They were very 
rigorous in the exterior observance of the law ; they 
appeared to be devoured by holy zeal in all things, 
and they were admired by the people as models of 
sanctity — here they are lambs. But they were, in 
fact, filled with envy and hatred ; they were avaricious, 
vindictive, covetous, hypocritical, and they sent 
Christ to the cross — here they are rapacious wolves. 
Such, also, have always been the heretics, innovators, 
and teachers of iniquity. Their words appear to 
breathe the pure love of truth, a desire to help their 
neighbor, and an ardent zeal for man's welfare by 
wishing to enlighten his mind and to reform his heart, 



174 SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

and on this account they appear as lambs. But if 
you examine their manner of living and the object 
of their doctrine you will find that they are moved 
by a spirit of hatred, of pride, of sensuality, of avar- 
ice, and by a mania to draw you from God and thus 
cause your eternal ruin — here they appear as wolves 
panting for their prey. 

Q. Why did Christ say that we would know the 
false prophets by their works? 

A. As plants are known by their fruit, so also are 
false prophets known by their works. Thorns will not 
bring forth grapes, nor can you gather figs from this- 
tles. In the same manner a corrupt heart cannot pro- 
duce good actions ; and if a hypocrite does something 
now and then that is good in itself, you will in a short 
time discover the motive of his actions. A corrupt 
heart will strive to conceal itself, but its hypocrisy is 
revealed by its actions. The style of dress, conver- 
sation, recreations, amusements, friendships, etc., 
plainly show the true condition of the heart. 

Q. How can we say this? 

A. We say it upon the authority of Christ. A good 
tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, and a bad tree can- 
not bring forth good fruit. The same is the case 
with the heart of man. An humble, patient, modest, 
and devout person, a person fearing God, will, as a 
rule, not commit sins against those beautiful virtues, 
unless suddenly surprised by human frailty. But 
a proud, dissolute, and avaricious person will fall at 
the slightest occasion and show his true self, no 
matter how hard he tries to conceal it. 



Q. What did Christ want to teach us by saying that 



SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 175 

every tree that brings not forth good fruit shall be cut 
down? 

A. He wished to teach us that it is not enough to 
abstain from doing evil. God expects that when we 
avoid evil we should also practise the Christian virtues 
according to our state of life, and correspond faith- 
fully with the graces we have received. Call to mind 
the servant who was punished because he did not trade 
with the talent he had received, and the tree that was 
ordered to be cut down because it brought forth no 
fruit, though covered with rich foliage. Woe to us if 
we are good Christians only in appearance, and do 
not bring forth the fruit of good actions ! 

Q. What is the last remark to be made on this 
Gospel ? 

A. We must observe what Jesus Christ says, that 
not every man who says to Him, Lord, Lord, will 
enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only those 
who do the will of His Eternal Father. Many Chris- 
tians flatter themselves that they please God, because 
they daily say a certain number of prayers, assist at 
the holy sacrifice of the mass, and are always present 
at the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; but 
they should reflect that all this is of no account if 
they do not faithfully observe the holy law of God. 
True devotion consists in the perfect denial of our- 
selves and in conforming ourselves in all things to 
the will of God. He who observes in all things the 
law of the gospel will enter into paradise, but he who 
makes devotion consist in words only will be excluded 
by Christ from the number of the elect. 



176 



EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Luke xvi. 1-9. 

AT that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples this par- 
able : " There was a certain rich man who had a 
steward: and the same was accused unto him, that he 
had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said to 
him: How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account 
of thy stewardship, for now thou canst be steward no 
longer. And the steward said within himself: What 
shall I do, because my lord taketh away from me the 
stewardship? To dig I am not able; to beg I am 
ashamed. I know what I will do, that when I shall be 
removed from the stewardship they may receive me into 
their houses. Therefore, calling together every one of 
his lord's debtors, he said to the first: How much dost 
thou owe my lord? But he said: An hundred barrels of 
oil. And he said to him: Take thy bill and sit down 
quickly, and write fifty. Then he said to another: And 
how much dost thou owe? Who said: An hundred 
quarters of wheat. He said to him: Take thy bill, and 
write eighty. And the lord commended the unjust stew- 
ard, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children 
of this world are wiser in their generation than the chil- 
dren of light. And I say to you : Make unto you friends 
of the mammon of iniquity: that when you shall fail they 
may receive you into everlasting dwellings. " 

Q. Why did Christ speak this parable? 

A. With this parable Christ intended to rebuke the 
avarice of the Pharisees, who made bad use of their 
worldly goods ; and besides, He advises us to make 
good use of riches, especially when they have been 



EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1 77 

acquired by violating in some manner the law of God 
and by offending the Divine Majesty. 

0. Of whom, is the steward of this parable a figure? 

A. This man, as you see, had the management of 
a large estate, and as this was not his, but his mas- 
ter's property, he had no right whatever to do with 
it as he pleased, to neglect or squander it, and for 
this reason was he accused of being an unfaithful ser- 
vant and was dismissed. Now this steward is a 
figure of ourselves, who are the administrators of the 
treasures which God, the Author of all good, has con- 
fided to our care. Life, health, talent, beauty, no- 
bility, riches, all that we have, are so many trusts 
that God has placed in our hands, which we are to 
manage for our benefit, but only in the manner pre- 
scribed by Him, and not otherwise. Whenever, there- 
fore, we make a different use of them, we are guilty 
before God of maladministration and of unfaithful- * 
ness, like the servant in the Gospel. Alas ! What use 
have we so far made of so many good things which 
we have received from God? What have we done 
with our worldly goods, with our health, with our 
senses? 

Q. What does the master's treatment of the un- 
faithful servant signify? 

A. The master, having learned of the steward's un- 
faithfulness, immediately demands of him an account 
of his stewardship, and gives him notice that he is dis- 
missed from office. This means that God will also 
one day call upon us to render an account to Him of 
the use we have made of His gifts, temporal and 
spiritual, and from, that moment we can no longer 
have any use of them, because God will then sit in 
12 



178 EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

judgment upon us; this judgment takes place imme- 
diately after our death. What a terrible moment that 
will be for many unhappy Christians ! 

Q. Are the words of the steward applicable to us? 

A. Certainly. He knew that he could not con- 
tinue in office; he thought his situation over, and 
came to the conclusion that he was unable to do hard 
manual work, and that he was ashamed to beg. Now 
we should reflect thus : When we are dying we can 
work no more, we cannot then make good the abuse 
of the heavenly gifts by making a good use of them ; 
we can no longer work by doing penance, by invoking 
the help of a merciful God, or the protection of the 
saints, because then the days of mercy and of the 
protection of the saints are over, and the days of 
rigorous justice and eternal punishment commence. 

Q. What are we to think of the steward's expedient 
to provide for himself? 

A. It was wicked, and if his master praised him, 
it was not on account of his stealing, but on account 
of the prudence and sagacity he displayed in provid- 
ing for the future by making friends for himself who 
would assist him in want after he had lost his employ- 
ment. Let us also learn to think seriously of the fu- 
ture, and to prevent misfortunes to our souls. 

Q. What conclusion did the Divine Master draw 
from this? 

A. He said: " Make unto you friends of the mam- 
mon of iniquity, that when you shall fail they may 
receive you into everlasting dwellings." By these 
words He counsels us, or, rather, He commands us, 
to think betimes of our future wants, and to make 
friends for ourselves in heaven, by making good use 



NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



179 



of the worldly goods we possess ; that is, by doing 
works of mercy. Reflect that worldly possessions 
are sometimes acquired by unjust means ; for instance, 
by fraud, by theft, by usury; and sometimes our an- 
cestors, parents, or we ourselves have gained them by 
too much greed or anxiety, which is contrary to that 
detachment from worldly things which a Christian 
should cherish. Hence in either case they deserve 
to be called the fruits of iniquity. Now r Christ speaks 
here of the latter kind, and as restitution must be made 
of the former, which have been acquired by fraud, 
theft, and usury, so also does He advise us to use that 
which has been amassed by sinful anxiety in doing 
works of mercy, in helping the poor, in offering sac- 
rifice for the dead, in honoring the saints, so that like 
powerful and influential friends they may interest 
themselves in our behalf before God, obtain for us the 
divine assistance during life, pardon in death, and 
joy in heaven. 



NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Luke xix. 41-47. 

AT that time: "When Jesus drew near, seeing the 
city, He wept over it, saying: If thou also hadst 
known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to 
thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy eyes. For 
the day shall come upon thee, and thy enemies shall casta 
trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straighten 
thee on every side, and beat thee flat to the ground, and 
thy children who are in thee: and they shall not leave 
in thee a stone upon a stone, because thou hast not known 
the time of thy visitation, And entering into the temple, 



l8o NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

He began to cast out them that sold therein, and them 
that bought, saying to them: It is written: 1 My house 
is the house of prayer ; ' but you have made it a den of 
thieves. And He was teaching daily in the temple." 

Q. Why did Jesus weep on seeing Jerusalem? 

A. Tears are generally considered as a sign of 
weakness, but sometimes they are certainly a token 
of great love. The latter was the case with Jesus 
Christ. At beholding that unfortunate city He 
thought of her blindness, obstinacy, and ingratitude 
for the many favors which God had bestowed on her. 
He thought of the anger of God which she had pro- 
voked, and of the afflictions that would one day befall 
her on account of her crimes, and, moved by His ten- 
der charity, He shed tears over her unhappy fate. 

Q. Were the predictions of Jesus in regard to Jeru- 
salem verified? 

A. Read history. Forty years after the death of 
the Redeemer that city was surrounded on every side 
by the army of Titus, shut off from all communication 
by three impassable barriers, divided by factions, 
oppressed by pestilence, hunger, and thirst, and 
crushed by unheard-of horrors and misery. People 
seeking safety by flight jumped from the walls and 
were killed by the fall or put to death by the Roman 
soldiers. Bloody contests between the factions fre- 
quently took place in the public squares and streets. 
Human bodies were decaying, old people were dying 
of hunger, and mothers in despair ate the flesh of 
their own children whom they had killed. In the 
heavens phantom armies were seen waging war, and 
in the temple the voices of angels w r ere heard crying : 
" Let us depart hence, let us depart. " The Roman sol- 



NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. l8l 

diers finally entered the city with the sword in one hand 
and the torch in the other. They deluged the streets 
with blood, they set the houses, fortifications, and 
temple on fire, the whole city was reduced to ashes, 
a stone remained not on a stone, as had been foretold. 
Was not the awful prediction of Christ fulfilled? 

Q. Of whom was Jerusalem a figure? 

A. Jerusalem was a figure of the hardened sinner 
who does not profit by the grace of God, by remorse 
of conscience, by the counsels of his friends, or by 
the exhortations of the ministers of the Church. In 
remaining obstinate and in resisting the call of divine 
mercy the sinner exposes himself to the danger of be- 
ing finally abandoned by God, and of becoming a 
victim of that unspeakable misery and horror which 
generally accompany final impenitence. 

Q. How do we see, in the destruction of Jerusalem, 
the fate of the hardened sinner? 

A. When an obstinate sinner is abandoned by God, 
bad habits, the occasions of sin, and human respect 
so control him that he is almost forced to commit sin, 
and is unable to amend his life. A perfect chaos reigns 
in his heart ; he wishes to be in peace with God, but 
he also wants to sin. He would like to enjoy peace of 
heart, but he also wants to gratify his passions. He 
fails in good works, is deprived of spiritual help, and 
carried away by corruption ; he cares no longer for 
friends, parents, family, or for himself. The thought 
of the punishment due his iniquities causes him to 
despair. He dies and, from temporal, he passes to 
eternal sufferings. 

Q. What are we to conclude from this? 

A. It is the greatest misfortune to close our ears to 



182 



TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, 



the voice of God when He comes to visit us with His 
grace. We should, therefore, profit by the call and 
invitation of the Lord while we have time, so that He 
may not abandon us as He did ungrateful Jerusalem. 

Q. What else is related in the Gospel of to-day? 

A. It is related that Jesus Christ cast out of the 
temple those who were carrying on a profane traffic. 
From this we are to learn that we provoke Christ 
when we seek in the house of the Lord anything but 
God. If we go to church out of habit or curiosity, or 
to pass the time; if we are distracted, undevout, ir- 
reverent ; if we go to see or be seen ; if, in a word, we 
act like sinners in the house of prayer, we deserve to 
be driven out, and we deserve to feel the weight of 
God's anger, for He is jealous of His house, where He 
expects our adoration and dispenses His mercies. 



TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Luke xviii. 9-14. 

AT that time : " To some who trusted in themselves as 
just and despised others Jesus spoke this parable: 
Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a 
Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stand- 
ing prayed thus with himself: O God! I give Thee 
thanks that I am not as the rest of men: extortioners, 
unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican. I fast twice in 
a week ; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the pub- 
lican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his 
eyes toward heaven, but struck his breast, saying: O 
God! be merciful to me a sinner! I say to you this man 
went down into his house justified rather than the other; 



TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1 83 

because every one that exalteth himself shall be hum- 
bled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." 

Q. Why did Jesus Christ speak this parable? 

A. By this parable the Divine Saviour wanted to 
teach those who were present, as well as all future 
Christians, how necessary it is to close our eyes to our 
own merits and virtues in order to avoid the sin of 
pride. He assures us that only the humble of heart are 
pleasing to God, and they alone obtain His favors. 

Q. Of whom was the Pharisee a figure? 

A. The Pharisee was a true image of a man full of 
himself and carried away by pride. He boasted that 
he was not like other people ; that he had no faults, 
that he had no vices, that he was not an adulterer, 
but that he practised virtue and was faithful in the 
observance of the law. But, while he praised himself, 
he uncharitably condemned the publican. Such is 
the proud man. He alone is learned, prudent, and 
skilful ; he alone is the model according to which all 
should shape their actions ; he alone is deserving of 
esteem, honors, and preferment. If others do not 
praise him, he will do it himself ; and when he aspires 
to an office of honor or to some distinction, he does 
not scruple to calumniate others, to be cruel and to 
deceive; he sacrifices all to his passions, which he will 
gratify at any cost. This man in his pride would have 
sacrificed the whole Jewish nation if he could have 
done so. 

Q. What are we to learn from this? 

A. We should learn to avoid the vice of pride and 
not to confide in our own good qualities, if we hap- 
pen to have any, in order not to become, like the 



184 TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Pharisee, an object of aversion to God. To avoid 
this vice, let us bear in mind that the proud man is 
odious to heaven and. earth, and that God, as St. Peter 
says, resists the proud and covers them with confusion, 
as he did Lucifer, the sons of Babel, Holofernes, and 
many others. 

Q. But what are we to do when we know that 
we have good qualities? 

A. We should then remember that those good quali- 
ties do not belong to us, but that they are gifts of the 
mercy and grace of that God Who, in a moment, can 
deprive us of them on account of our pride and of 
His justice. On the other hand, who is certain 
whether he deserves love or hatred, notwithstanding 
the good testimony of his conscience ? Urias thought 
he was a favorite of his sovereign ; and, full of this con- 
fidence, he carried in his own hand the irrevocable de- 
cree of his death. The Bishops of Ephesus, Per- 
gamus, Sardis, and Laodicea believed they were near 
God, whilst God Himself complained of them to St. 
John, the apostle. We should not be too confident 
in glorifying our own good qualities. In the eyes of 
God even the stars of heaven are not pure. 

Q. Of whom is the publican a figure? 

A. He is a figure of the sinner who, by the grace 
of God, knows his failings, humbles himself, and asks 
for mercy. He would not even lift his eyes to heaven, 
and God looked down on him with the eyes of a father. 
He asks for mercy, and God, besides forgiving him 
his sins, bestows on him His benediction and graces. 
Let us learn from this publican ; let us not hide our 
sins, but acknowledge them ; let us prostrate ourselves 
before God and confess that we are unworthy of His 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 185 

favors, but let us always hope to obtain them of His 
infinite goodness through the merits of Jesus Christ, 
remembering what St. Peter said, that God gives His 
grace to the humble. 

Q. What will help us to be humble? 

A. We should consider what we were, what we 
are, and what we shall be, both in regard to soul and 
body. In regard to the body we were once nothing ; 
now we are a clod of earth, subject to many miseries, 
and one day we shall be a heap of bones and ashes. 
In regard to the soul we were once slaves of the devil, 
vessels of wrath deserving hell, now we are in need 
of everything ; we are poor sinners exposed to all kinds 
of dangers, and one day God will judge whether we 
shall be rewarded with the saints in heaven or pun- 
ished with the reprobates in hell. 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 

Gospel: St. Mark vii. 31-37. 

AT that time : " Jesus going out of the coasts of Tyre, 
He came by Sidon to the Sea of Galilee through the 
midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring to Him 
one deaf and dumb; and they besought Him that He 
would lay His hand upon him. And taking him from 
the multitude apart, He put His fingers into his ears, 
and spitting, He touched his tongue. And looking up to 
heaven, He groaned, and said to him: Ephpheta, which 
is, Be thou opened. And immediately his ears were 
opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he 
spoke right. And He charged them that they should tell 
no man. But the more He charged them so much the 



i86 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



more a great deal did the) 7 publish it. And so much the 
more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things 
well: He hath made both the deaf to hear and the dumb 
to speak. " 

Q. Of whom was the deaf and dumb man a figure? 

A. He was a figure of the human race, which by 
the sin of Adam was rendered unable to hear the 
voice of salvation and to pronounce the words that 
would redound to the glory of God and to the good 
of their souls. 

Q. Why did Christ take him apart from the multi- 
tude? 

A. From this we should learn that in order to 
cure men of the infirmity of sin it is necessary to free 
them from the superstition, the corruption, and the 
false maxims of the world, and to teach them to fol- 
low doctrines and laws different from those of the 
Gentiles. 

Q. Why did Christ put His finger into the ears, 
and with His own spittle touch the tongue of the deaf 
and dumb man? 

A. His finger signifies the divine Omnipotence, 
and the spittle the divine Wisdom. By so doing Christ 
gave us to understand that in order to open the ears 
and to loosen the tongue of our soul the work of the 
Holy Ghost, Who is the finger of the Eternal Father, 
is absolutely necessary ; but that the Holy Ghost would 
not have done this work, if the Eternal Wisdom, made 
man, had not merited it for us by His passion and 
death. 

Q. Why did Jesus, before curing him, raise His 
eyes to heaven and groan? 



ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1 87 

A. By groaning Jesus gave us to understand how 
deplorable the condition of mankind is, which through 
its own fault has become deaf and dumb in regard to 
God, and how great is His compassion for mankind. 
By looking up to heaven He asked the mercy and 
power of the Eternal Father to cure the afflicted 
man. 

Q. How are the words, "He spoke right," veri- 
fied in the human race? 

A. Consider how a Christian, by virtue of bap- 
tism, has his ears opened to the voice of Heaven, 
and how he speaks of God, and you will see the prod- 
igy realized. If we hear the voice that invites us to 
do good and abstain from evil ; if we hear the voice 
that reproaches us for our faults and encourages us 
in the exercise of virtues ; if we confess our weak- 
ness and praise God, all this is a prodigy of that 
finger of grace which opened our ears and loosened 
our tongue to hear the truth and to speak words of sal- 
vation for ourselves, and words of glory for the author 
of our regeneration. 

Q. Can we say that a Christian is sometimes deaf 
and dumb? 

A. He is certainly so if he is hardened in sin. He 
then does not acknowledge his guilt, he does not 
pray to God or praise Him, and while he talks too much 
of the things of the world he is mute about the things 
of God. Besides, by remaining obstinate in his sins 
he does not hear the voice of grace, the internal 
inspirations, the invitations of the divine mercy ; and 
like a deaf man who does not profit by the words 
spoken to him, even for his own good, he draws no 
profit from counsel, advice, or correction. 



l88 ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Q. Why did Jesus forbid the people to make this 
miracle known? 

A. To teach us not to seek human praise and re- 
ward when we have done a good work. By putting 
to good use the natural or supernatural gifts we have 
received from God, we surely can do great things for 
the glory of God, for the good of society, and for our 
neighbor's welfare; but, content with having done 
our duty, we must not publish our merit to the world, 
we must not wish for human reward, we must avoid 
all praise and say to ourselves, as Jesus commands us, 
that we are useless servants on earth. 

Q. Why did the multitude not obey the command 
of Jesus? 

A. Here is another wholesome lesson for us. Let 
us do all the good we can, and let us evade the ap- 
plause of men and await our reward from God. Af- 
ter the example of the multitude we are not bound to 
keep silence when our benefactors are concerned, 
should their modesty even command us to do so. 
Let us praise their virtue, let us show our gratitude 
and publish their good works, when it will serve as a 
good example to society, and when it is for the greater 
glory of the Lord. 

Q. What are we to learn from all this? 

A. As this deaf and dumb man was a figure of 
the human race, we are to learn how sad our con- 
dition has been through the fault of our first parents, 
and we are to cherish sentiments of lively gratitude 
to Jesus Christ, Who by His all-powerful grace has 
delivered us from it. As this man is, in a more par- 
ticular sense, a figure of the hardened sinner who 
hears not the voice of God and has no tongue to 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1 89 

confess his guilt or to praise the Divine Majesty, we 
are to learn to avoid such a deplorable state of ob- 
stinate impenitence, and, after the example of the 
kind-hearted multitude, we should beseech Jesus to 
lay the hand of His grace on our deaf and dumb 
brethren and grant them that which is unto life 
eternal. 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Luke x. 23-37. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "Blessed 
are the eyes that see the things which you see. 
For I say to you that many prophets and kings have de- 
sired to see the things that you see, and have not seen 
them, and to hear the things that you hear, and have not 
heard them. And behold a certain lawyer stood up, 
tempting Him, and saying: Master, what must I do to pos- 
sess eternal life? But He said to him: What is written in 
the law? how readest thou? He answering, said: Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and 
with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with 
all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself. And He said 
to him: Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou 
shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said to 
Jesus: And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering, 
said: A certain man went -down from Jerusalem to Jeri- 
cho and fell among robbers, who also stripped him, and, 
having wounded him, went away, leaving him half dead. 
And it chanced that a certain priest went down the same 
way, and seeing him, passed by. In like manner also a 
Levite, when he was near the place and saw him, passed 
by. But a certain Samaritan, being on his journey, came 
near him, and seeing him, was moved with compassion; 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



and going up to him, "bound up his wounds, pouring in 
oil and wine, and setting him upon his own beast, brought 
him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day 
he took out two pence, and gave to the host, and said: 
Take care of him: and whatsoever thou shalt spend over 
and above, I at my return will repay thee. Which of 
these three in thy opinion was neighbor to him that fell 
among the robbers? But he said : He that showed 
mercy to him. And Jesus said to him: Go and do thou 
in like manner." 

Q. What did the apostles see in Christ? 

A. The apostles saw in Jesus Christ the Eternal 
Word, the only begotten Son of the living God, the 
Messias promised to the patriarchs, foretold by the 
prophets, and expected of nations, while ignorant 
and carnal men saw in Him only the son of a carpen- 
ter, an obscure and poor man of Nazareth, a son of 
Adam like all the rest of men. 

Q. What did the apostles hear from Jesus Christ? 

A. They heard truths until then unknown, and 
words of eternal life not understood and not believed 
by the greater majority of those who followed the 
Divine Master, without understanding the meaning of 
His parables and the eloquence of His miracles. 

Q. Who were those who desired to see and hear 
what the apostles saw and heard, but could not? 

A. They were all those who lived and died before 
Christ, who, believing and hoping in the future Mes- 
sias, desired to see Him and His miracles which had 
been foretold and hear His heavenly doctrine. But 
they were prevented by death from enjoying the 
longed-for consolation. 

Q. Were the apostles the only fortunate ones? 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. IOI 

A. No. All Christians, and especially we who live 
among so many that have fallen into schism and 
heresy. In the Man of Nazareth, that is, in Jesus 
Christ, we see with the eyes of faith the Saviour. In 
His miracles we see the divinity of His doctrine con- 
firmed. In His manner of living- we see the model 
we are to imitate. His words are not obscure to us as 
they were to many ; we understand them as the apos- 
tles did, because from them and from their legitimate 
successors we have been taught beyond any doubt 
their true and sublime sense. 

Q. What do you think of that doctor of the law 
who tempted Jesus by putting a question to 
Him? 

A. We should detest his duplicity, and admire the 
prudent answer of Jesus Christ, an answer that may- 
be applied to many Christians who, wanting to live 
according to their own fancy, invent new doctrines 
and capricious rules, when the gospel has already laid 
down the law in regard to our gains, our amusements, 
our food, our clothing — in fact, in regard to all the 
works of a Christian. 

Q. Of whom was the man who fell among robbers 
a figure? 

A. He was an image of the human race, which by 
disobedience fell from the state of grace into a state 
of sin. Jerusalem, the city of the Lord, built upon a 
mountain, represents the state of grace, and Jericho, a 
city built in a valley, represents the state of sin. The 
human race fell under the power of the infernal rob- 
ber, who, having despoiled it of original innocence 
and grace, wounded it m the intellect, the heart, and 
the will, and left it on the road to perdition, prostrate 



192 TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

in its misfortune and incapable by its natural strength 
to rise again. 

Q. What does it mean that the man was wounded 
and not dead? 

A. It means that the human race was not lost be- 
yond redemption like the bad angels who, having 
once sinned, were condemned to eternal woe, but that 
although its wounds were mortal, it could still be 
cured. This cure, however, could not be effected by 
all the just, nor by the patriarchs and prophets, who 
until Christ's time had lived upon the earth, and of 
whom the priest was the figure, nor by the pre- 
cepts, ceremonies, and legal sacrifices, of which the 
Levite was a figure, but only by the Samaritan, 
that is, the Eternal Word, a stranger to us, because 
He is God and the only faithful guardian of our soul, 
because, loving us from all eternity, He watched over 
our welfare. 

Q. Whom did the Samaritan represent? 

A. He represented Jesus Christ, and mark well the 
circumstances. The Samaritan was passing by the 
place where the wounded man lay, he sees him, he 
is moved to compassion, and he approaches him to 
treat his wounds and to help him in any other way. 
It was the same with Christ ; He was the true Sa- 
maritan, the eternal Guardian, the Saviour of men, 
a stranger to us before His incarnation, like unto us 
with the exception of sin, and separated from sin- 
ners. He became a pilgrim and dwelt among us by 
becoming man, He looked with compassion on the 
human race, prostrate on the earth and covered with 
wounds, and He undertook the great task of healing 
and restoring it to life. 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 1 93 

Q. What did He do to heal the human race? 

A. This divine Samaritan, in order to heal our 
wounds, approached us by assuming our nature. He 
treated our spiritual wounds with the oil of grace and 
with the wine of heavenly charity. He bound up 
these wounds with the bandages of His holy law, and 
He brought us to the inn of salvation, suffering in 
His humanity the punishment due to the sinner, and 
bringing us back, by His passion and death, to the 
bosom of the Holy Church, where we are under the 
protection of His ministers, whose office it is to heal 
our infirmities and prepare us for life eternal. 

Q. What do the two pence signify which the Sa- 
maritan gave to the host to take care of the wounded 
man? 

A. We have received a remedy for the wounds in- 
flicted by the devil in the passion and in the grace of 
Jesus Christ. These wounds might grow worse and 
be once more the cause of our death But our divine 
Guardian, after having given us in charge of His 
ministers, the priests, has given to them two most effi- 
cient means to provide for our wants. These means 
are instruction and the sacraments. By the first we 
are enabled to know what we should believe and what 
we should do. By the second we are enabled to regain 
grace if we have lost it, or to increase it if we already 
possess it. 

Q. What is the meaning of these words: "What- 
soever thou shalt spend over and above, I at my 
return will repay thee"? 

A. Jesus Christ, having completed the work of re- 
demption, left this world, ascended into heaven, 
and will return at the end of the world. In the 

*3 



194 THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

meantime, we are confided to the care of the priests, 
His ministers, and they in His name must provide 
for our eternal welfare. But if they, in the discharge 
of their duties, do more than what they are strictly 
bound to do, they will receive an especial reward 
from Christ on the day of judgment, when He will 
reurn to this world to punish the wicked and to reward 
the good for all they have done, the former against 
Him, and the latter for His glory. 

Q. Is this promise of Christ only for His priests? 

A. This promise was made to them in a special 
manner, but it was also addressed to all who do more for 
their neighbors' welfare than they are in duty bound 
to do. A parent, a teacher, an employer, a superior, 
a sovereign, who is not content with simply doing 
his duty toward those confided to his care, but who 
with an extraordinary zeal endeavors to promote their 
spiritual welfare and their progress in Christian virtue 
and perfection, will undoubtedly receive a special re- 
ward from Jesus Christ, and will one day enjoy a 
greater glory in heaven. 



THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 
Gospel: St. Luke xvii. 11-19. 

AT that time, "As Jesus was going to Jerusalem, He 
passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 
And as He entered into a certain town there met Him 
ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off and lifted 
up their voice, saying: Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 
Whom when He saw, He said ; Go, show yourselves to the 



THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 195 

priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were 
made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he was 
made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God, 
and he fell on his face, before His feet, giving thanks: 
and this was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering, said: 
Were not ten made clean? and where are the nine? 
There is no one found to return and give glory to God, 
but this stranger. And He said to him: Arise, go thy 
way, for thy faith hath made thee whole." 

Q. Of whom were these lepers a figure? 

A. St. Augustine says they were an image of 
heretics and also of sinners, and especially of those 
afflicted with the vice of impurity. 

Q. Why were they in a special manner a figure 
of the impure sinner? 

A. As a leper is a disgusting object to men, so is 
a lewd sinner an abominable object to the eyes of 
God. As lepers were to be avoided because of the 
danger of contracting their contagious disease, so 
also must lewd persons be avoided, because they 
easily communicate to others their spiritual disease. 

Q. Why did He send them to the priests? 

A. It was prescribed in Leviticus (xiii.) that lepers 
when cured of their disease should present themselves 
to the priest to be declared cured, after which they 
were restored to the society of their fellow-men and 
introduced into the temple. On this account Jesus 
sent those men to the priests that they might be wit- 
nesses of their cure, and do what was commanded by 
the law in such cases. 

Q. How in this were they like the lewd sinner? 
A. According to the Old Law it was necessary for 
lepers to have recourse to the priest to be cleansed 



196 THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

from the legal impurity and restored to society. In 
like manner those who are infected by the vice of 
impurity have need of the ministry of the confessor 
to be prepared to participate in the sacraments, to be 
helped to overcome their bad habits, and to persevere 
in their good resolutions. For such, frequent con- 
fession is undoubtedly the most efficacious means of 
reform. 

Q. What does it mean that as they went they were 
made clean? 

A. Their cure did not depend on the work of the 
priests, but on the grace of Jesus Christ, and as they 
believed in Him and hastened to see the priests 
as He had commanded them, as they went the wish 
of their hearts was granted, and they were cured as 
a reward of their faith and obedience. 

Q. What meaning has all this for us? 

A. It means that our deliverance from the leprosy 
of sin does not depend on the words of the priest, who 
judges by the exterior, but is effected by the power 
of Christ, Who sees our interior. Hence the absolu- 
tion of the priest is of no advantage to us if he was 
too easy in giving it or if we obtained it by fraud. 
The absolution is of no avail if God, Who searches the 
heart, does not confirm it. It also means that the 
operation of grace in our souls and the abundance of 
the divine mercy will be in proportion to our faith 
and to our prompt obedience to the voice of God. 

Q. What are we to learn from the Samaritan who 
returned to thank Jesus? 

A. We are to learn to be really grateful to the di- 
vine mercy by which, through the merits of Jesus 
Christ, we have been cleansed not only once, but 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 197 



very often from trie leprosy of sin. Let us not con- 
tent ourselves wth mere words, but as this Samari- 
tan glorified God with loud voice and, prostrate at 
the feet of the divine Master, adored Him, so should 
we by our actions and good example proclaim the 
power of His grace, and make known to all our faith 
and our submission to the majesty of the Lord. 

Q. What are we to learn from the nine ungrateful 
ones? 

A. Inasmuch as we are indignant at their ingrati- 
tude, we should learn how disgraceful and infamous 
our conduct would be if we were insensible or un- 
grateful for benefits which we have received either 
from God or from man. 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 
Gospel: St. Matthew vi. 24-33. 

AT that time, Jesus said to His disciples: u No man 
can serve two masters. For either he will hate the 
one and love the other, or he will sustain the one and 
despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 
Therefore I say to you be not solicitous for your life, what 
you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. 
Is not the life more than the meat, and the body more 
than the raiment? Behold the birds of the air, for they 
neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: 
and your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you 
of much more value than they? And which of you by 
taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? And for 
raiment why are you solicitous? Consider the lilies of 
the field, how they grow.' they labor not, neither do they 



I98 FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

spin. But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his 
glory was arrayed as one of these. And if the grass of 
the field, which is to-day, and to-morrow is cast into the 
oven, God doth so clothe, how much more you, O ye of 
little faith? Be not solicitous therefore, saying: What 
shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall 
we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens 
seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of 
all these things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of 
God and His justice, and all these things shall be added 
unto you." 

Q. What was the object of these words of Christ? 

A. The object was to reprove the extreme anxiety 
and attachment for the riches of this world, and be- 
sides to exhort us to place our trust in divine Provi- 
dence. 

Q. What did Christ say to detach us from the love 
of riches? 

A. He said that if the love for them is bad, it will 
surely rule our heart, and when this is the case, it 
will be impossible for us to please God, as it is utterly 
impossible to please two masters at one and the same 
time who are so opposed to each other in all things 
as are the love of riches and the love of God. 

Q. Why are the love of God and the love of riches 
entirely opposed to each other? 

A. It would be too much to say all that proves this, 
hence let it suffice to say that the love of God is al- 
ways and only occupied with the things of heaven, 
that it despises the things of the world, and volun- 
tarily distributes them to the poor; that the love 
of riches, on the contrary, is only eager to obtain the 
things of the world, is never satisfied with its prof- 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 199 

its, and instead of helping the poor and needy it 
rather endeavors to rob them and to grow richer by 
their blood. 

Q. What does He say to encourage us to trust in 
divine Providence? 

A. In order to encourage us to place our confidence 
in God, Jesus Christ commands us not to be solicitous 
about what we are to eat, or wherewith we are to 
clothe ourselves, because that God Who in His good- 
ness has made us out of nothing cannot and will not 
refuse us what is necessary for our sustenance, if 
with childlike confidence we have recourse to His 
fatherly love. 

Q. How is all this proved? 

A. It is proved by what happens every day. We 
see the birds of the air are fed, and the flowers of the 
field are clad in beautiful clothing. Now if God in 
His providence preserves that order of things by 
which the birds receive their food and the flowers 
their beautiful vesture, how much more will He pro- 
vide the necessaries of life for us, He being our 
Father. Hence the Holy Ghost said by the mouth of 
David: u J acta super Dominum cur am tuam, etipseteenu- 
triet." 

Q. If this be the case, is it not useless to work all 
day? Is it not enough to have confidence in God? 

A. Bear in mind that Christ forbids us to be over- 
anxious or uneasy, but He does not dispense us from 
using our strength. He who would lead an idle and 
careless life would be unworthy of God's bounty and 
would insult divine Providence. We must earn our 
bread in the sweat of our brow, but our efforts will be 
fruitless if they have not the blessing of God. If we 



200 FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 

cannot do anything for ourselves, the powerful hand 
of God will help us, when like good children we have 
recourse to His paternal love. 

Q. Can you give some examples of this divine 
Providence? 

A. We find many examples in the Holy Scriptures, 
and leaving aside Agar, who was provided with water 
for her dying son Ismael, Susanna, who was provided 
with a protector who defended her innocence and de- 
livered her from death, Daniel, who was provided 
with food in the lions' den and was saved from 
death, it will suffice to remember the Hebrew people 
when they were in the desert. They had no bread, 
and God sent them quails, and daily gave them 
manna for forty years. They frequently had no 
water to drink, and God miraculously turned the bit- 
ter waters to sweet, and gave them water out of a 
rock. They could procure no garments, and God 
preserved for forty years the clothes they brought 
with them from Egypt. Now this divine Providence 
that cared for the Hebrews in the desert will also 
take care of us. We often enjoy the benefits of this 
divine Providence without knowing it, but the Holy 
Ghost assures us that the just man has never been 
forsaken, and God as a loving Father always watches 
over us. 

Q. What are we to do to deserve such a Providence ? 

A. Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and espe- 
cially in this day's Gospel He tells what we must do, 
when He says : " Seek first the kingdom of God and 
His justice." 

Q. What did He mean by this? 

A- He wished to teach us that our only desire and 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



20I 



our constant prayer should be that God may be glori- 
fied, and that we may obtain the necessary means to 
gain heaven, that is, an abundance of grace, holiness 
of life, the possession of virtue, and perseverance in 
good. When, therefore, the kingdom of God is our 
only object, when we are faithful, just, and persever- 
ing in the divine service, then divine Providence 
will provide us with the necessary temporal things, 
without our being anxious about them, in the same 
manner as the earth brought forth its fruit without 
being cultivated when Adam was in the state of origi- 
nal innocence. 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 
Gospel: St. Luke vii. 11-16. 

AT that time: " Jesus went into a city that is called 
Nairn, and there went with Him His disciples and 
a great multitude. And when He came nigh to the gate 
of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only 
son of his mother: and she was a widow: and a great 
multitude of the city was with her. Whom when the 
Lord had seen, being moved with mercy toward her, He 
said to her: Weep not. And He came near and touched 
the bier. (And they that carried it stood still.) And 
He said: Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that 
was dead sat up and began to speak. And He gave him 
to his mother. And there came a fear on them all, and 
they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up 
among us, and God hath visited His people." 

Q. Was this meeting of Jesus with the funeral a 
mere accident? 

A. According to the history of this fact it would 



202 FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

seem to have been simply an accident, but the sacred 
interpreters say that Jesus went purposely to Nairn 
and arranged all in such a manner that He was at the 
gate of the city at the proper time, in order to work 
the astonishing miracle, which inspired with faith 
those who beheld it, and which teaches us a lesson of 
the greatest importance. 

Q. Of whom was that dead man a figure? 

A. He was the image of a sinner dead in the 
eyes of God, more disfigured by his sins than a 
corpse, deprived of every spiritual good and of the 
strength to do works for life eternal. 

Q. Of whom was the sorrowful mother who followed 
the bier a figure ? 

A. She was a figure of the Church, which never loses 
sight of those of her children whom sin has deprived 
of life. She continually laments their condition, de- 
sires their conversion, and prays for it fervently and 
constantly from the mercy of God through the merits 
of Jesus Christ. 

Q. What are we to recognize in the bier and in 
the four men who carried it? 

A. In the bier we are to recognize our fallen na- 
ture in which we are obliged to lie, and in the four 
pall-bearers the ruling vices that carry us to destruc- 
tion. One who is in the state of sin, not out 
of human frailty, but rather out of pure malice, 
lies, like a corpse on the bier, on the bed of sin, and 
the ruling passions carry him rapidly to the grave of 
eternal death. 

Q. What do we behold in Jesus Christ moved to 
compassion for this mother? 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 203 

A. We see the same Jesus Christ now reigning in 
heaven, Who by the constant and fervent prayers of 
our common mother the Church is moved to compas- 
sion for poor sinners and gives them the grace to 
rise again from their sins, as is daily the case in the 
conversion of so many Christians. 

Q. What is meant by Christ touching the bier, and 
by the bearers standing still ? 

A. This signifies that God, in the conversion of 
sinners, who are carried to perdition by their ruling 
passions and bad habits, touches with His grace our 
weak human nature in such a manner that the soul 
is no longer carried away by the torrent of corruption, 
and that, moreover, He causes the vices and ruling pas- 
sions which carried it to the grave of eternal death to 
stand still, and not as before to reduce it to further 
errors by their furious attacks. 

Q. Why did Christ command with such power the 
dead young man to arise ? 

A. By this our Divine Master wished to teach us 
that for the conversion of a sinner, who is a slave of 
his passions and bad habits, a powerful and special 
grace is necessary, which almost like a miracle stops 
the course of the predominant passions, and hinders 
them from going further. Oh, how should habitual 
sinners tremble, when they reflect that God gives this 
grace out of pure mercy, notwithstanding our un- 
worthiness, and that He does not give it to all, but 
only to whom He pleases, and when and how He 
pleases, for no one can merit this grace. 

Q. The young man sat up; what are we to learn 
from this? 



204 FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

A. When God by His grace commands a sinner to 
rise from his spiritual death he is aroused from his 
deadly lethargy, he opens his eyes to the light of 
faith, he speaks confessing his sins, and those very 
passions that formerly controlled him he now con- 
trols and subjects to the power of his will. Recall to 
mind St. Paul, St. Augustine, and St. Margaret, and 
you will see how at the command of grace they shook 
off the sleep of death, and how from that very mo- 
ment they made use of those talents, of that ardent 
character, and that tendency of their hearts, which 
had once been the sad cause of their transgressions, 
as a triumph of virtue. 

Q. Jesus gave the young man into the care of his 
mother; what does this teach us? 

A. When God by His grace converts a sinner, He 
restores him to the Church, his mother, who gains in 
him a son who was dead to her, and she rejoices at 
his return to spiritual life. Besides, God confides this 
son, risen to a new life, to her maternal care that she 
may help him to gain strength, that she may en- 
lighten, direct, console, encourage, and guide him on 
the way of penance, perseverance, and perfection. 

Q. What are we to think of the multitude that was 
so astonished? 

A. This should not surprise us; it is rather sur- 
prising that so many Christians do not take notice of 
a greater miracle that God continually works in a 
spiritual manner in the Church. Every day His 
powerful grace recalls from death to life many souls, 
and perhaps even our own: yet scarcely any one 
thinks of giving Him that glory and thanksgiving 
which are His due. 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 205 



Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 

A. Let us learn to weep with the Church over the 
unhappy death of so many of our brethren who are 
the slaves of sin, and to pray with her that the Divine 
Mercy may recall them to life. Let us learn to beg 
Jesus to come to meet us in His great charity, as He 
did the dead young man of Nairn, when we have had 
the misfortune to fall into mortal sin. Lastly, let us 
learn to thank God for all He has done for us, either 
by resuscitating us when we were in the state of sin, or 
by preserving us from what might again cause our 
spiritual death. 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Luke xiv. i-ii. 

AT that time: "When Jesus went into the house of one 
of the chief of the Pharisees, on the Sabbath-day, to 
eat bread, they watched Him. And behold there was a 
certain man before Him that had the dropsy. And Jesus 
answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying : Is 
it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day? But they held 
their peace. But He, taking him, healed him, and sent 
him away. And answering them, He said: Which of 
you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit and will not 
immediately draw him out on the Sabbath-day? And 
they could not answer Him to these things. And He spoke 
a parable also to them that were invited, marking how 
they chose the first seats at the table, saying to them: 
When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down in the 
first place, lest perhaps one more honorable than thou be 
invited by him: and he that invited thee and him come 
and say to thee : Give this man place ; and then thou be- 



206 SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

gin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou 
art invited, go, sit down in the lowest place : that when he 
who invited thee cometh he may say to thee: Friend, go 
up higher. Then shalt thou have glory before them that 
sit at table with thee. Because every one that exalteth 
himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself 
shall be exalted." 

Q. How could Jesus accept the invitation to the 
table of a Pharisee? 

A. It is true the Pharisees were bad men, but 
Jesus Christ did not refuse to enter the house of this 
man, wTio was one of the most distinguished among 
them, because He wished to take this opportunity to 
benefit them by His doctrines and miracles; thus 
teaching us not to repel or avoid sinners as long as 
there is any hope of doing them good. 

Q. What miracle did Christ work, and what doc- 
trines did He teach on this occasion? 

A. The Gospel relates that on this occasion He 
healed a man who had the dropsy, and He taught those 
present as well as us also that it is not forbidden to 
heal the sick on the Sabbath-day. Besides, He 
showed that we must avoid pride and cultivate hu- 
mility. 

Q. Of whom was the man that had the dropsy a 
figure ? 

A. St. Augustine says that he was a figure of the 
rich miser who the more he has the more he wants, 
after the manner of dropsical patients, who the fuller 
they are of water the more they want to drink. 

Q. Is this man a figure of anything else? 

A. According to St. Augustine, the dropsy of this 



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 207 

man signified any other predominating passion of a 
sinner. Any passion, when it takes possession of the 
heart, becomes insatiable, and the more it is gratified 
the worse it becomes, like the thirst of one afflicted 
with dropsy. If we notice a drunkard, a proud man, 
a libertine, an ambitious woman, a miser, we see 
that the habitual debauch, the beastly excesses, the 
most extravagant fashions, and the greatest gain do 
not satisfy their desires, and, much as they may 
gratify their whims, they never have enough. 

Q. How did Jesus prove that it was not forbidden 
to heal the sick on the Sabbath-day? 

A. He proved it from the example of the Pharisees 
themselves, by saying that if they did not scruple to 
draw from the pit an ass or an ox that had fallen into 
it, because their interest required them to do so, much 
less should there be any difficulty in curing a sick 
person for charity's sake and for the glory of God. 
Those Pharisees were impious men, says the venerable 
Bede. Through avarice they would violate the law of 
the Sabbath, and at the same time they accused Christ 
of violating the Sabbath because He cured a man 
through charity. 

Q. Were the Pharisees convinced by this reasoning ? 

A. As the Gospel says, they felt that they were si- 
lenced, and held their peace. Yet, instead of being 
enlightened, they became more obstinate in finding 
fault with Christ, and, as St. John relates, they perse- 
cuted Him, telling the people that He was not a friend 
of God, because He did not observe the Sabbath. 

Q. What else worthy of remark took place on this 
occasion ? 

A. That happened which often happens in our 



208 SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

day. The Pharisees who had been invited were full 
of self-conceit. Each one of them had a high opinion 
of himself ; each fancied that he was greater than the 
others, and each sought to be preferred and to have 
the first seat at the table. 

Q. And what did Jesus Christ do then? 

A. Jesus Christ, knowing the ambitious desires of 
their hearts, gave them the important advice to select 
the lowest place, so as not to expose themselves to 
the shame of being obliged to give up the highest 
place by the command of the host, who had destined 
it for one who was superior in merit. 

Q. What did Christ mean by this counsel ? 

A. He wished to correct those proud men, by 
making them understand how improper their ambi- 
tious behavior was in selecting the best places; at 
the same time He taught all future Christians to 
close their eyes to their own merits, not to exact at- 
tentions, and to believe themselves inferior to others, 
by always with sincerity of heart choosing the last 
place for themselves. 

Q. With what promise did Christ confirm this 
lesson? 

A. He confirmed it by saying that he who exalts 
himself shall, be humbled, and he who humbles him- 
self shall be exalted. 

Q. Before whom will the proud be humbled and 
the humble exalted? 

A. Before God and men. Even the world de- 
spises the proud, and when it can humble them it 
does it with pleasure. On the other hand, it loves, 
esteems, and praises the truly humble, and is pleased 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 209 



when their merit is appreciated. God, says St. Hil- 
ary, will humble the pride of the ambitious and 
glorify the humble, if not in this life, certainly and 
forever in the next. 

Q. In what does true humility consist? 

A. It consists in considering ourselves as nothing 
before God and men, for indeed we are nothing, and 
all we have, in the order of nature or in the order of 
grace, comes from God, as also, all we do, great or 
small, depends on His help and goodness. 

Q. What are the degrees of Christian humility? 

A. They are as follows : To know ourselves, our 
insufficiency, our natural misery, and hence to have 
a low opinion of ourselves. Secondly, to bear pa- 
tiently and with fortitude humiliations, wherever 
they may come from. Finally, to rejoice in these 
humiliations and to say with David : It is good, O 
Lord, that Thou hast humbled me. 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Matthew xxii. 35-46. 

AT that time, the Pharisees came nigh to Jesus: "And 
one of them, a doctor of the law, asked Him, 
tempting Him: Master, which is the great command- 
ment in the law? Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole 
soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and 
the first commandment. And the second is like to this: 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two 
commandments dependeth the whole law and the proph- 
ets. And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus 
14 



2 10 SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

• 

asked them, saying: What think yon of Christ? Whose 
son is He? They say to Him: David's. He saith to 
them : How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, 
saying : The Lord said to my Lord : Sit on My right hand 
until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool? If David then 
call Him Lord, how is He his son? And no man was 
able to answer Him a word; neither durst any man from 
that day forth ask Him any more questions." 

Q. In what sense was the question of the Pharisee 
a temptation? 

A. To understand the force and the malice of this 
question of the Pharisee, which the Gospel calls a 
temptation, it is necessary to know that in Christ's 
time there was a question which was the greater 
obligation : to love God or to offer in the temple the 
sacrifices commanded by the law. Many were of trfe 
opinion that the first and greatest commandment was 
that of offering sacrifice in the temple. On this ac- 
count the doctor of the law asked Jesus Christ which 
was the greatest commandment of the law, with the 
intention to induce Him to decide the question, with 
the danger to Himself of displeasing one or the other 
party, if He did not support His assertion by undeni- 
able proof. 

Q. What was Christ's answer? 

A. He answered that the first and greatest com- 
mandment was to love God above all things, with 
our whole heart, with our whole soul, and with all 
our strength. 

Q. What do you think of this precept? 

A. There is nothing more reasonable and just. 
God is perfection itself, the fountain and the source 
of all good; therefore He must be loved for what 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 211 

He is in preference to all other things, and He must 
D2 loved with our whole heart and with our whole 
soul, cost us what it may. God has created us for the 
sole purpose that we may love Him, and hereafter 
enjoy Him for all eternity as a reward of this love; 
therefore we are bound by the law of nature to love 
Him. God is the absolute Lord of our life and of all 
we have on this earth ; therefore we are bound in 
justice to love Him. God has bestowed on us innu- 
merable natural and supernatural benefits, and con- 
tinues to do so; therefore we are bound to love 
Him out of gratitude, and if man would not love Him 
He would be worse than the brute animals, that show 
themselves grateful to those who feed them. 

Q. Why did Christ say that the precept to love 
God is the first and greatest commandment? 

A. Because charity is the greatest of the virtues, 
the root, the support, and the crown of all the others. 
Without charity, all the acts of devotion are noth- 
ing; without charity, patience, generosity, meekness, 
chastity, and all other good qualities avail nothing ; 
without charity, we are objects of hatred in the sight 
of God. Hence St. Paul says: "If I should speak 
with the tongues of angels, if I possessed all knowl- 
edge, if I should distribute all my goods to the poor, 
if I worked miracles, if I should deliver my body to be 
burned, and have not charity, I am nothing more than 
a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal " (i . Cor. xiii.). 

Q. Which is the second great commandment? 

A. Christ has told us what it is. It is to love our 
neighbor as ourselves; that is, we must love him 
sincerely, ardently, and effectively, but always for the 
love of God. 



212 SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Q. How are we to practise this love? 

A. The same divine Teacher taught us the way to 
practise it, when He said : " Do unto others as you 
wish them to do unto you." Hence St. Augustine, 
explaining this maxim, says : " Whatever good we 
wish for ourselves, the same we must procure for 
our neighbor, and the evil that we fear we must 
prevent from befalling our neighbor." 

Q. Does he who treats his neighbor kindly and 
generously, but without reference to God, fulfil the 
commandment ? 

A. God has commanded us to love our neighbor as 
ourselves, but always for love of Him, in regard to 
Him, with eyes fixed on Him alone. Therefore he 
who loves and gives abundantly to his neighbor 
through human sensibility, through natural goodness 
of heart, or through philanthropy, would not satisfy 
the precept. He would deserve the praise and the 
gratitude of men, but he would merit no supernatural 
reward. 

Q. Why did Jesus say that "on these two com- 
mandments dependeth the whole law and the 
prophets " ? 

A. He said this because all the other precepts of 
the law and the teachings of the prophets, that is, of 
those who speak to us in God's name, are founded on 
the commandment of the love of God and of our neigh- 
bor, and all flow therefrom in such a manner that he 
whose heart is animated by charity observes the 
whole law; but when this virtue, which constitutes 
the essence of a Christian, is wanting, the whole law 
is transgressed. 

Q. After Christ had taught such a wholesome 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 2 1^ 

lesson, what else, according to the Gospel, did He 
do? 

A. Wishing to render good for evil, He took the 
occasion to enlighten and to lead His tempters and 
His enemies to behold in His person the promised 
Messias, by asking them what they thought of Him 
Whom they all expected, and whose son they believed 
He was to be. 

Q. Did the Pharisees give a correct answer when 
they said that the Christ was to be the son of David? 

A. They answered correctly in part, but not in full. 
The Messias was true God and true man, and hence 
they should have said: As God, the Christ was the 
son of the Eternal Father; and as man, He was a 
descendant of the house of David. But the Pharisees 
either did not know or did not want to believe in the 
divinity of Jesus Christ ; therefore they gave only a 
partial answer. The Divine Master, however, did 
not omit to place this great truth before them, and 
convinced them in such a manner that no one was 
able to answer Him a word. 

Q. With what argument did He silence them? 

A. By showing them that David, inspired by the 
Holy Ghost, called the Christ his Lord, thus giving 
Him a title which he would not have given Him if 
he had not known Him to be greater than he himself, 
because He was the Son of God, Who was to make His 
enemies His footstool. In this way He proved His di- 
vinity and showed them the triumph which He was 
to have over them. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 
A. We are to learn that our first and greatest duty 
is to love God above all things and our neighbor as 



214 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



ourselves. We are to learn further not to question 
or cavil with God on the maxims of religion. Lastly, 
we are to learn how great our confusion will be, if, 
like the Pharisees, we dare to impugn anything that 
redounds to the glory of Jesus Christ. 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Gospel: St. Matthew ix. 1-8. 

AT that time : " Jesus, entering into a boat, passed over 
the water and came into His own city. And be- 
hold they brought to Him one sick of the palsy lying in 
a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man 
sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are for- 
given thee. And behold some of the scribes said within 
themselves: He blasphemeth. And Jesus, seeing their 
thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts? 
Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee : or 
to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that 
the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then 
saith He to the man sick of the palsy :) Arise, take up thy 
bed, and go into thy house. And he arose, and went 
into his house. And the multitude seeing it, feared, and 
glorified God that gave such power to men. " 

Q. What city was that which Jesus went to? 

A. It was the city of Capharnaum, on the west bank 
of the river Jordan, a little before it flows into the 
Sea of Tiberias, also called the Lake of Genesareth and 
the Sea of Galilee. This was a rich commercial city, 
and the emporium of all Judea on account of its great 
population, its extensive trade, and the concourse of 
strangers. 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 215 

Q. Why does the Evangelist call Capharnaum the 
city of Jesus, saying: " He came into His own city"? 

A. The home of Jesus was Nazareth, but St. John 
Chrysostom and many others are of the opinion that 
He cherished a special affection for Capharnaum, 
so that St. Matthew called it His city. In Caphar- 
naum there was a house where Christ was accustomed 
to meet with His apostles, and in this city He began to 
preach the kingdom of God, to correct the prevailing- 
vices, to teach virtue, and worked many astounding 
miracles. 

Q. What miracles did Christ perform in Caphar- 
naum? 

A. He healed the paralytic mentioned in the Gos- 
pel, He restored sight to two blind persons, and healed 
the deaf and dumb man who was possessed by the devil, 
of which mention is made in the Gospel for the third 
Sunday in Lent. He also cured the servant of the 
centurion, the woman who was suffering from a loss 
of blood, and the son of Regulus, who was dying of 
fever. Besides these, He recalled to life the daugh- 
ter of Jairus. 

Q. Of whom was this paralytic a figure? 

A. He was a figure of the human race, which was 
sick on account of the sin of its first parent. This 
paralytic was in a pitiable condition ; he could not take 
a step, or even stand. He could not use his hands, 
and he was incurable by natural means. In like 
manner the human race was reduced to a most deplor- 
able condition; it could not withstand the power of 
the passions, it could not take a step or do anything 
by which to gain heaven, and no one could help it but 
Jesus Christ alone. 



2l6 EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Q. Why did Jesus say to the man: "Be of good 
heart, thy sins are forgiven thee"? 

A. The health of his body would have been of lit- 
tle account to him if he had not received with it the 
health of his soul ; therefore Jesus first gave him the 
most necessary grace, that is, the health of his soul, 
and then that of less importance, the health of his 
body. 

Q. What are we to learn from this? 

A. We are to learn that when we are sick our first 
thought should be to place ourselves in the grace of 
God, thus healing our soul first, because diseases are 
very often a punishment for sins committed ; hence a 
cure can scarcely be hoped for if the cause has not 
first been removed by repentance. 

Q. What are we to think of those who said that 
Jesus blasphemed when He said, " Thy sins are for- 
given thee"? 

A. We need not be surprised at this. Ignorant 
people call all things they do not understand blunders 
and folly ; so also do unbelievers and the wicked call 
blasphemy every truth of faith which they do not 
comprehend or which they do not like. Those 
scribes did not know, or did not want to know, that 
Jesus was God, and when He said that the sins of 
the paralytic were forgiven him, these words seemed 
to them to be a horrible blasphemy. How many 
Christians also accuse the ministers of the altar of 
rigorism, scrupulosity, and ignorance, when they 
announce truths that are not according to the taste of 
their corrupt hearts, or which appear new to them, 
because they never learned their religion as they 
should. 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 21 7 

Q. Why did Jesus rebuke their secret thoughts? 

A. This appears to be a rebuke, but in reality it 
was for them a great charity, because, as God alone 
can penetrate the secrets of the heart and mind, Jesus, 
by showing that He knew their secret thoughts, gave 
them a convincing proof that He was truly God. Sin- 
ners also may learn from this that no matter how 
much they strive to hide themselves before men, God 
always knows them, for He searches the innermost 
recesses of the heart. 

Q. What else did Christ show in this case? 

A. By the fact itself He showed that, on account of 
His divinity and the merits of His passion, He had 
the power of forgiving sins and of assisting sinners 
by His grace to obtain the victory over their passions 
and to walk on the road to heaven, like the paralytic 
who arose healthy and sound, took up his bed, and 
went into his house. 

Q. Of what, therefore, was the paralytic a figure 
on this occasion? 

A. He was a figure of mankind restored to grace 
by Jesus Christ, risen again from the weakness to 
which it had been reduced by the sin of its first 
parent, fortified against its passions, and rendered 
able to walk on the way of salvation toward its home, 
paradise. 

Q. Of what was he more particularly an image? 

A. St. Gregory says: The bed upon which the 
paralytic lay prostrate and unable to move signified 
the carnal passions in which the soul of a sinner lies 
abandoned and unable to do any good. The paralytic, 
in carrying his bed and going into his house, is a 
figure of the sinner who. being converted and placed 



2l8 NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

in the state of grace, rises from the mire of his pas- 
sions, carries triumphantly the weight of temptations, 
strives in works of penance, walks in the path of 
justice, and returns to that house which is prepared for 
him in heaven by the merits of Jesus Christ. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 

A. The miserable condition of the paralytic teaches 
us to fear the misery to which our sinful passions 
can reduce us. The kindness with which the Divine 
Redeemer treated the sick man invites us to have 
great confidence in God, and to trust in His mercy 
even if we are great sinners. The greatness of the 
miracle causes us to admire the great power con- 
ferred by Jesus Christ on the priests in order that 
they may use it in a spiritual manner in the sacra- 
ment of penance ; and the whole history teaches us 
to fear, to give thanks, and to glorify God, and Him 
Whom He sent to dwell among us, Jesus Christ, His 
only Son, Our Lord. 



NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Gospel : St. Matthew xxii. 2-14. 

AT that time: Jesus spoke to the chief priests and 
Pharisees in parables, saying: "The kingdom of 
heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his 
son. And he sent his servants to call them that were in- 
vited to the marriage : and they would not come. Again 
he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were in- 
vited: Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my beeves 
and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come 
ye to the marriage. But they neglected, and went their 



NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 219 

ways, one to his farm and another to his merchandise. 
And the rest laid hands on his servants, and, having 
treated them contumeliously, put them to death. But 
when the king had heard of it he was angry, and, sending 
his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their 
city. Then he saith to his servants: The marriage in- 
deed is ready: but they that were invited were not worthy. 
Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you 
shall find call to the marriage. And his servants, going 
forth into the highways, gathered together all that they 
found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled 
with guests. And the king went in to see the guests: 
and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding gar- 
ment. And he saith to him : Friend, how earnest thou in 
hither not having a wedding garment? But he was silent. 
Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and 
feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness : there shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, 
but few are chosen." 

Q. What was the object of this parable? 

A. It was to warn the Jews of the danger and of 
the fatal consequences of their obstinacy in refusing 
to recognize in Him that Messias Who came to call 
them in the name of His Eternal Father to partake of 
the kingdom of heaven. 

Q. What does the kingdom of heaven signify, who 
is the king, and who is the bridegroom? 

A. The kingdom of heaven is the Church, in which 
God exercises His power over the minds and hearts ; 
the royal father who prepares the nuptial feast is 
the same God Who invites all mankind to enter the 
Church, and the bridegroom is Jesus Christ, true God 
and true man, Who is united to the Church by the 
strongest ties. 



220 NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Q. What are we to understand by the nuptial feast? 

A. That most bountiful feast of eternal life which 
is received in the Church, whether of doctrine, of 
grace, or of the merits of Jesus Christ. 

Q. Why is such a feast said to be prepared by the 
royal father? 

A. Because the holy Church was ordained and pre- 
pared by God from all eternity, and God sent His 
only begotten Son to become man to complete the 
great work begun by Him. 

Q. Who are the invited, and who are they who 
did not accept the first invitation ? 

A. The invited are all the children of Adam, as 
well of the Old as of the New Dispensation, and those 
who refused the first invitation were principally the 
Gentiles, who did not believe in the Christ Who was 
to come, and did not profit by the example of the 
chosen people. They were also the Jews, who did 
not listen to the voice of the prophets, and refused 
to acknowledge the promised and expected Messias. 
Lastly, they are all those who did not and do not ac- 
cept the truths of the gospel. 

Q. Who were the servants sent out by the king to 
give the first invitation? 

A. They were the prophets who invited men to 
believe and to hope in the Messias, and who an- 
nounced His coming, His sanctity, His miracles, and 
all the circumstances of His birth, life, passion, and 
death. 

Q. Who were those sent to renew the invitation? 
A. They were the apostles and all their legitimate 
successors in the preaching of the gospel, and the)' 



NINETEENTH 



SUNDAY AFTER 



PENTECOST. 



221 



are now all the ministers of the altar who announce 
the divine word and invite the people to drink with 
joy from the rich fountains of the Saviour. 

Q. What do the animals that were killed for the 
feast signify ? 

A. All this food, which indicates the wealth and 
sumptuousness of an earthly table, signifies the abun- 
dance and the excellence of the food which God has 
prepared for our souls in the Church. 

Q. How do we prove this abundance? 

A. If we consider the promises of God made to the 
patriarchs, the predictions of the prophets, the figures 
of the sacrifices and of the legal ceremonies, and the 
foreshadowings in the events and in the famous per- 
sonages of the Hebrew nation, we shall see with what 
abundance God prepared the nuptial feast of Jesus 
Christ ; that is, how many lights and how many means 
He prepared, in order that the promised Saviour might 
be known when in the fulness of time He should 
appear among men. 

Q. Does this abundance stop here? 

A. Certainly not. If we consider the doctrines 
of Jesus Christ, His miracles, His example, His 
death, His merits, and His sacraments, the preach- 
ing of the apostles, the constancy of the martyrs, the 
prodigies which signalized the promulgation of the 
faith and the constant assistance of the Holy Ghost, 
we shall comprehend how abundantly God has pro- 
vided food for our souls, for our faith, our hope, our 
charity, our perfection; in a word, for the nuptials of 
the Church with the heavenly Spouse. 

Q. Who are they who maltreated the servants? 



222 NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

A. First, they are the Jews, who stoned the proph- 
ets and crucified Christ. Secondly, they are the 
persecutors of the Church, who condemned the pro- 
mulgators of the gospel to all kinds of torments ; and 
lastly, they are those who persecute the priests because 
they are the ministers of God and the teachers of re- 
ligion. 

Q. How was the revenge of the angry king realized 
in regard to the Jews? 

A. You find the answer in the ruins of the city of 
Jerusalem, and in the Jews themselves, scattered over 
the face of the earth without throne or temple. 

Q. Who are they who were called from all parts 
and partook of the marriage-feast? 

A. They were the Gentiles and the people of every 
nation who, called by the apostles to the profession 
of the gospel, embraced the holy faith and filled the 
Church of Jesus Christ. 

Q. Of whom was the man a figure who had not on 
a nuptial garment? 

A. He was the sad image of all those who are in- 
deed in the Church because they have been baptized, 
but who have not the nuptial garment ; that is, who 
have not justice and sanctifying grace, because they 
are in the state of mortal sin. 

Q. Why did the king call that man a friend? 

A. From this we may learn that God hates sin, 
but not the sinner; because, although he is His 
enemy by sin, still he is His creature, created unto 
His likeness, and redeemed by the blood of Jesus 
Christ; therefore He is inclined to treat him in a 
friendly manner whenever, accepting the invitation 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 223 

of His grace, he will ask pardon for his sins and pro- 
vide himself by repentance with the nuptial garment, 
which he has not when in the state of sin. 

Q. Why, then, did he sentence him to be punished? 

A. In order to warn us that the sinner who is mute 
and does not confess his guilt and ask for pardon, as 
this man in the Gospel, will be banished from eternal 
joy, and will be sentenced to be cast out of the king- 
dom into eternal pain. 

Q. What are we to learn from this parable of the 
Gospel? 

A. We are to learn principally three things: first, 
not to despise divine grace: second, to be sure 
that we have the nuptial garment, which is sanctify- 
ing grace ; and lastly, that it is not enough to be in 
the Church and to bear the name of Christian in 
order to be saved, as it was not sufficient for that man 
to be seated at the nuptial banquet, from which he was 
ignominiously banished. 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 
Gospel : St. John iv. 46-53. 

AT that time: "There was a certain ruler whose son 
was sick at Capharnaum. He having heard that 
Jesus was come from Judea into Galilee, went to Him, and 
prayed Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at 
the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him : Unless 
you see signs and wonders you believe not. The ruler 
saith to him : Lord, come down before that my son die. 
Jesus saith to him: Go thy way, thy son liveth. The 
man believed the word which Jesus said to him, and 



2 24 TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

went his way. And as he was going down his servants 
met him: and they brought word, saying that his son 
lived. He asked therefore of them the hour wherein he 
grew better. And they said to him : Yesterday at the 
seventh hour the fever left him. The father therefore 
knew that it was at the same hour that Jesus said to him, 
Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole 
house." 

Q. Where did Jesus work this miracle, and where 
was this ruler from ? 

A. Jesus worked this miracle in the city of Cana in 
Galilee, where He had converted water into wine. 
The ruler was from Capharnaum, which is situated at 
the north-western side of the Lake of Genesareth, 
many miles distant from Cana. Capharnaum was 
a city loved by the Divine Teacher, and one which 
He had made famous by many miracles. 

Q. Why did Christ rebuke that man, saying: " Un- 
less you see signs and wonders you believe not"? 

A. He did this to show the ruler the imperfection 
of his faith, for if he really believed that Christ was 
true God he would have known that a simple act 
of His all-powerful will was sufficient to cure his 
dying son, and that it was not necessary for the sick 
son to be present in person. This reproof was given, 
however, not only to him, but also to all who thought 
like him, and whose faith was as imperfect as his 
was. 

Q. Did this rebuke open the eyes of the ruler to see 
the imperfection of his faith? 

A. No ; but he renewed his prayer and requested 
the Divine Teacher to come down to his house before 
his son died. How many Christians, even in our day, 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 225 

by applying to others the reproofs which they should 
apply to themselves, continue in their defects without 
correcting themselves as they should. 

Q. Was Christ vexed because the ruler persisted 
in his imperfect faith? 

A. He was not vexed, but in His mercy He chose 
rather to cure his mind by hearing his prayer and 
by working the miracle without moving from the 
place where He was. Let us admire here the patience 
and the goodness of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who had 
compassion for human infirmities, and bestowed His 
favors even on those who were imperfect. 

Q. Why did He refuse to go to Capharnaum? Was 
the journey difficult? 

A. He did not mind the inconvenience of such a 
journey, but He knew very well that if He then and 
at such a distance cured the sick son, He would there- 
by prove that He was God, Who sees and controls ab- 
sent things as if they were present, it being sufficient 
for Him to say: "Go, thy son liveth." 

Q. Was the ruler's faith perfected by these words 
of Christ? 

A. The ruler believed the words of the Divine 
Teacher, and, therefore, his faith increased; still, as 
we can gather from the Gospel, his faith was as yet 
not perfect. 

Q. When did his faith become perfect? 

A. When the ruler heard from his servants, who 
had come in haste to meet their master, that the fever 
had suddenly left his dying son the day before at the 
seventh hour, that is, one hour after midday, and, 
therefore, at the very same moment when Christ had 
*5 



226 TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

assured him that his son would live, then he was con- 
vinced that Christ was truly the Son of God ; that He 
was almighty, and the Lord of life and death ; he 
believed Him to be the expected Messias, and he and 
his whole family sincerely embraced the faith of the 
gospel. 

Q. Of whom were the ruler, his sick son, and the 
fever figures? 

A. Some sacred interpreters recognize, in this ruler 
who left his home to seek Christ, the human mind 
as a queen in the midst of all things created, which 
naturally rises above all material things, and, leaving 
far behind what is subject to the senses, goes in 
search of the truth that comes from heaven. In the 
ruler's sick son they recognize the human will, weak 
and wavering in the midst of the seduction of the 
world ; and in the fever they recognize the power of 
the passions, which corrupt the will and cause it to be 
almost without life in regard to doing good. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 

A. First, we are to learn how useful trials and 
afflictions are to lead us to God, for the ruler and his 
whole house would perhaps not have believed in Jesus 
Christ if the son had not been afflicted with that 
mortal sickness. Secondly, we are to admire the 
goodness of God in bearing with our imperfections 
when we pray to Him; and lastly, like that ruler, 
we are to lead our neighbor, at least by our good ex- 
ample, to the knowledge of God and to the faithful 
observance of His holy law. 



TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



227 



TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 
Gospel : St. Matthew xviii. 23-35. 

AT that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples this par- 
able: " The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, 
who would take an account of his servants. And when 
he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him 
that owed him ten thousand talents. And as he had not 
wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should 
be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, 
and payment to be made. But that servant, falling down, 
besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I 
will pay thee all. And the lord of that servant, being 
moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. 
But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his 
fellow-servants that owed him a hundred pence; and lay- 
ing hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou 
owest. And his fellow-servant, falling down, besought 
him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee 
all. And he would not, but went and cast him into 
prison, till he paid the debt. Now his fellow-servants, 
seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they 
came and told their lord all that was done. Then his lord 
called him, and said to him: Thou wicked servant! I for- 
gave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: 
shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy 
fellow-servant, even as I had compassion on thee? And 
his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until 
he paid all the debt. So also shall My Heavenly Father 
do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from 
your hearts." 

Q. Of whom are this king and the debtor in the 
parable figures? 



228 TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

A. As in all the other parables so in this the king 
is a figure of God, master and judge of the universe ; 
and the debtor represents sinful man, who must 
render an account of all his actions to the Divine 
Justice. 

Q. Why is this servant represented as being so 
heavily in debt? 

A. It is evident that the Divine Master thus repre- 
sented him in order to express the enormity of sin, 
and the immense debt contracted with God by him 
who commits it. 

Q. What fault had the wife and children committed, 
that they also were to be sold? 

A. This is an ornament of the parable, founded 
on the practice of certain very singular cases, as can 
be seen in Daniel. At any rate it may well signify 
that sometimes a whole family and an entire commu- 
nity must suffer for the sin of a father or of a mem- 
ber, in the same manner as all who were in the ship 
with the prophet Jonas were in danger of drowning, 
because he had b@en disobedient to God. All Egypt 
was punished on account of Pharao, and three thou- 
sand conquerors of Jericho were put to flight near the 
city Hai by a handful of uncircumcised men, on ac- 
count of one only, Achan. 

Q. How could the poor servant promise to pay so 
large a sum? 

A. Strictly speaking, it was impossible for him to 
pay such an enormous debt, but this was said to sig- 
nify that a sinner, although he cannot do anything 
of himself, can truly promise to satisfy the Divine 
Justice, relying on the infinite treasure of the passion 
and merits of Jesus Christ, 



TWENTY- FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 229 

Q. How could the king be so easily moved to com- 
passion and forgive so great a debt? 

A. From this we should learn how great is the 
goodness of God, and how willingly He forgives him 
who sincerely confesses his sins and firmly resolves 
to amend his life. David and Magdalen are very 
eloquent examples of this. 

Q. Of whom is that servant a figure who refused 
to have pity on his fellow-servant? 

A. In this particular he is a figure of those Chris- 
tians who refuse to forgive their neighbor, whilst 
they themselves dare to hope, or have even pre- 
viously obtained the forgiveness of their sins, which 
are far more grievous. 

Q. What are we to think of him when we see him 
having recourse to the tribunals to obtain satisfaction ? 

A. By acting in this manner he is the odious pict- 
ure of those vindictive persons who make use of all 
imaginable means to obtain satisfaction for injuries 
received, and it makes us feel how disgraceful and 
revolting such conduct is. 

Q. Why did his fellow-servants inform their master 
of the bad conduct of this man ? 

A. This signifies that the true servants of the 
Lord are always displeased and sorry for the acts of 
revenge done by Christians, and that, however just 
the satisfaction obtained may appear to be, the 
heavenly Master will always know it, will judge it 
rigorously, and will discover the secret malice thereof. 

Q. But this master did not oblige the servant to 
cancel the obligations due him from others. Why, 
then, was he so angry with him ? 



230 TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

A. Let us learn from this how angry the Lord will be 
with us if we exact satisfaction, knowing that He has 
strictly commanded us to forgive our neighbor from 
our heart, and that He has repeatedly assured us that 
we shall be treated by Him in the same manner as we 
have treated others. 

Q. Why did the master deliver that servant to the 
torturers ? 

A. The Divine Teacher said this in the parable to 
let us know that whosoever does not sincerely forgive 
his enemies will be sentenced to the torments of hell. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 

A. In the first place, we are to learn to acknowledge 
before God our great debts, that is, our sins, with 
sincerity and humility of heart. Secondly, we are to 
learn to have a firm purpose of making good our 
great debt as far as we can with the assistance of di- 
vine grace, by repentance, by receiving the holy 
sacraments, and by other good works. Lastly, we 
are to learn sincerely to pardon those who have of- 
fended us, and to fear the punishments with which 
God has threatened vindictive men. 



TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Matthew xxii. 15-21. 

AT that time: "The Pharisees going, consulted among 
themselves how to ensnare Jesus in His speech. 
And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herod- 
ians, saying: Master, we know that Thou art a true 
speaker, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither 



TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 231 

carest Thou for any man: for Thou dost not regard the 
person of men. Tell us therefore what dost Thou think, 
Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? But Jesus, 
knowing their wickedness, said: Why do you tempt Me, 
ye hypocrites? Show me the coin of the tribute. And 
they offered Him a penny. And Jesus saith to them: 
Whose image and inscription is this? They say to Him, 
Caesar's. Then He saith to them: Render therefore to 
Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things 
that are God's." 

Q. For what purpose did the Pharisees and Herod- 
ians present themselves before our Divine Teacher? 

A. They approached Him with the perfidious de- 
sign of catching Him in His words, and of finding 
in His reply to their question an excuse to condemn 
Him and make Him odious to one or the other of the 
opposing parties. 

Q. What was their question, and what did the Jews 
think of the point involved? 

A. The question was this: Is it lawful for the 
Jews to pay tribute to Csesar? To this the Hebrews 
were very much opposed, because a great part of 
them submitted unwillingly to the law imposing the 
tribute ; and still more, following the teachings of a 
certain Gaulonite, were of the opinion that it was not 
lawful for the Hebrew nation to pay tribute to the 
Gentiles, and that to do so was for them a sin. 

Q. To what danger was Jesus Christ exposed in an- 
swering the question? 

A. If He declared it to be lawful to pay tribute to 
the Romans He would have made Himself odious to 
the Jews, and most odious to the followers of the Gau- 
lonite, the leader of those zealots who afterward 



232 TWENTY -SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

caused so much misery to unfortunate Jerusalem. 
And if, on the contrary, He declared it unlawful to 
pay the tribute, He would have provoked the anger 
and invited the vengeance of Caesar, and the enmity 
and persecution of Herod, a great partisan of the 
emperor. 

Q. What are we to think of the great praise the 
Jews and Herodians bestowed on our Divine Master? 

A. The praise was due to Jesus Christ, Who merited 
it in the strictest and highest sense of the term ; but 
on the part of those perfidious hypocrites it was a 
stroke of the most refined malice and an insidious 
trap to cause Him to fall. They hoped, by blinding 
Him with flattery, to lead Him rashly to give a de- 
cision that would offend one or the other party. 

Q. But Jesus Christ reproved and confounded them ? 

A. The reproof which our Divine Master gave them 
arose not from anger or a spirit of revenge ; it was 
rather an act of charity, because in doing this He 
showed Himself a scrutinizer of the mind and heart, 
and gave them an occasion of enlightenment, repent- 
ance, and salvation, if they had reflected and profited 
by it. A superior should not withhold a reproof from 
him who does wrong when it may prove beneficial to 
the wrong-doer or to those who are present. 

Q. What do you observe in this reply of Jesus 
Christ? 

A. We see and admire a divine prudence, for by 
this answer, and without offending one party or the 
other, He taught the obedience due to those in au- 
thority, and enlightened the conscience of the Jews, 
by calming the opposition of the one and the scruples 
of the other. 



TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



233 



Q. Did Jesus Christ on this occasion teach us some- 
thing else? 

A. Yes; He taught us to give sincerely to our su- 
periors due obedience in all things, and to render to 
God as a tribute that soul which is marked with His 
image and with the indelible characters of the holy 
sacraments. 

Q. What are we to learn from this Gospel? 

A. We are taught in the first place not to try to 
deceive our neighbor by feigned praise and adulation, 
as in our day is done by many. We are also taught 
not to put our trust in the praises of men. We are, 
moreover, taught not to give our opinion too rashly; 
not to offend the opinion of others and enforce our 
own ; and lastly, we are taught to show ourselves 
obedient subjects of authority and sincere worshippers 
of our God. 

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 
Gospel: St. Matthew ix. 18-26. 

A T that time : " As Jesus was speaking these things 



A unto them, behold a certain ruler came up, and 
adored Him, saying: Lord, my daughter is even now 
dead; but come, lay Thy hand upon her, and she shall 
live. And Jesus rising up followed him with His disci- 
ples. And behold a woman who was troubled with an 
issue of blood twelve years came behind Him, and 
touched the hem of His garment. For she said within 
herself: If I shall touch only His garment, I shall be 
healed. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said: Be of 
good heart, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. 




234 TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

And the woman was made whole from that hour. And 
when Jesus was come into the house of the ruler, and 
saw the minstrels and the multitude making a rout He 
said: Give place, for the girl is not dead, but sleepeth. 
And they laughed Him to scorn. And when the multi- 
tude was put forth, He went in and took her by the hand. 
And the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad 
into all that country. " 

Q. First of all, was this girl dead? 

A. In reading the account of this same event in the 
other Gospels it appears that when this man, whom 
Luke calls Jairus, left home, his daughter was dy- 
ing, and that as he was returning with Jesus Christ 
to Capharnaum he met the servants who brought him 
the sad news of her death. So that when our divine 
Lord arrived at the house of Jairus the daughter had 
ceased to live. 

Q. In how many different senses may this Gospel 
be understood? 

A. In three: literal, allegorical, and moral. It is 
first to be understood in a literal sense, because the 
facts related are literally true. In the second place, 
it can be interpreted in an allegorical sense, because 
these facts are symbolic of still greater things in the 
order of grace; and lastly, these same facts, taken 
in a moral sense, indicate things which we should 
do. 

Q. Whom does Jairus symbolize? 

A. Jairus, who conducted Jesus to the house where 
his daughter lay dead, was a leader in the provincial 
synagogue at Capharnaum. He was a figure of Moses, 
who was the leader and ruler of the Hebrew people, 
and who by his government and legislation prepared 



TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 235 

the way for the advent of the Messias, Who was to 
come into the world and into the house of Jacob, and 
Who was to give life to the human race, dead through 
the sin of Adam, but, unlike the fallen angels, ca- 
pable of resurrection through the grace of the Re- 
deemer. 

Q. And whom does the infirm woman represent? 

A. Remember that this woman, who for twelve 
years could not be cured by all the efforts of the 
medical art, was unclean according to the law, and 
was cured on the public street by touching the gar- 
ment of our Divine Redeemer, and she obtained this 
grace before the girl who was dead. This infirm 
woman, then, was an image of the Gentile people, 
spiritually infirm for so long a time, without any of 
their philosophers being able to lead them to salvation ; 
impure by their superstitions, and by their shameful 
customs placed outside of the house of Jacob and 
wandering in the way of perdition, but cured by 
their approach to Jesus Christ and by recognizing 
Him as true God and man, and led to the spiritual life 
before the Hebrews, always obstinate in the shadow of 
death. 

Q. And the girl, first sick and then dead, whom 
does she represent? 

A. This girl symbolizes the synagogue, or the 
Hebrew people, in this way: The Hebrews had in 
their midst the Messias, but, actuated by their pre- 
possessions and blinded by their passions, they refused 
to recognize Him as such; they hated Him and per- 
secuted Him to death. They were then dying be- 
fore God and about to be rejected by Him. They 
had placed Him on the cross and set themselves 



236 TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



against accepting Him as the promised Christ, and 
thus they were dead in the eyes of the God of their 
fathers. 

Q. Why then did Christ say that the girl, the 
image of the synagogue, was not dead, but only sleep- 
ing? 

A. The girl was really dead, but, because the Di- 
vine Redeemer had determined to resuscitate her, He 
compared her death to a sleep, and said she slept, in- 
dicating that she would awake and return to the du- 
ties of life. 

Q. How can you apply this to the Hebrew people? 

A. At present the Hebrews, obstinate in their 
blindness, are outside of the Church, are deprived of 
sanctifying grace, and sleep the sleep of death; but 
before the end of the world they will awake from 
their deep lethargy, adore Jesus crucified, enter into 
the Church, and will be of the one fold and one shep- 
herd. Thus the Hebrew nation is not entirely dead 
forever ; now it sleeps in its incredulity, but one day 
it will be aroused and called into life by the grace of 
the Redeemer. We say, then, in reference to it : The 
child is not dead, but sleepeth. 

Q. In a moral sense, what do we see in the woman 
infirm for twelve years? 

A. We see in this woman the sad image of a soul 
grown old in sin, a soul to which the services of the 
priest, good or terrible examples, and experience, 
whether prosperous or unfortunate, have been for a 
long time of no benefit. 

Q. What is to be said about the sudden cure by 
touching the garment of Christ? 



TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 237 

A. As the mystic garment of the Incarnate Word is 
His most holy humanity, we can see how great is 
the efficacy of the Most Holy Sacrament to cure a 
sinner of his spiritual maladies ; also all those grown 
old in sin if they put themselves in the way of pen- 
ance and seek in this sacrament the proper remedy. 

Q. Why did Jesus Christ, as St. Mark tells us, 
oblige the infirm woman to make known her in- 
firmity? 

A. . He did this in order that sinners should learn 
to confess with sincerity and courage to the priests^ 
the dispensers of His graces, their spiritual infirmi- 
ties, howsoever enormous and shameful, in order to 
obtain mercy, pardon, and perfect cure. 

Q. And the dead girl, what did she represent? 

A. She represented a soul recently fallen into mortal 
sin through frailty, surprise, or the violence of temp- 
tation, rather than through malice or depravity of 
heart. 

Q. And did Christ on this account say that she was 
not dead, but asleep? 

A. Yes; because God ordinarily by His mercy calls 
souls suddenly, principally by a great remorse, to a 
sincere repentance and a prompt return to the state 
of grace ; and the time of their spiritual death being 
of short duration, they may be said to be asleep rather 
than dead. 

Q. Were there many present at the resurrection of 
this girl ? 

A. According to St. Mark, there were present her 
relations and the three apostles, Peter, James, and 
John, the crowd having been sent out. 



238 TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Q. How many did Jesus Christ raise from the dead? 

A. Not all the miracles of Jesus Christ are recorded 
in the Gospels, and therefore we find only three raised 
from the dead, namely, the girl of twelve years, the son 
of the widow of Nairn, and Lazarus of Bethania, the 
brother of Martha and Mary. 

Q. Had these three dead persons the same signifi- 
cation ? 

A. No. The girl, as has been said, represented a 
soul fallen into grievous sin through frailty rather 
than through malice ; the son of the widow signified 
an habitual sinner borne to perdition by his vices, to 
resuscitate whom a very great grace is necessary; and 
Lazarus represented a sinner grown old in iniquity 
and corrupted by the passions, for whose conversion 
it requires almost a miracle of grace. 

Q. What are we to learn from the whole of this 
Gospel? 

A. We learn to have recourse to Jesus Christ in 
all our needs with a lively faith and with humility, as 
had the ruler and the infirm woman. We should also 
admire the great goodness of our Divine Redeemer, 
Who was so prompt to console those who asked Him ; 
He will do the same for us if we ask Him from our 
hearts. Lastly, as our Divine Master sent away the 
musicians from the bed of the dead girl, so we on the 
occasion of death should seek help for the soul, and not 
the noise and clamor and the vain pomp of the world. 



TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 239 



TWENTY-FOURTH AND LAST SUNDAY AFTER 



T that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "When 



A therefore you shall see the abomination of desola- 
tion, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand- 
ing in the holy place, he that readeth, let him understand. 
Then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the moun- 
tains. And he that is on the house-top, let him not come 
down to take anything out of his house. And he that is 
in the field, let him not go back to take his coat. And 
woe to them that are with child, and that give suck in 
those days. But pray that your flight be not in the win- 
ter, or on the Sabbath. For there shall be then great 
tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of 
the world until now, neither shall be. And unless those 
days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved : but 
for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened. 
Then if any man shall say to you : Lo here is Christ, or 
there, do not believe him. For there shall arise false 
Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs 
and wonders, in so much as to deceive (if possible) even 
the elect. Behold I have told it to you beforehand. If 
therefore they shall say to you : Behold He is in the des- 
ert, go ye not out; behold He is in the closets, believe 
it not. For as lightning cometh out of the East, and ap- 
peareth even unto the West, so shall also the coming of 
the Son of man be. Wheresoever the body shall be, there 
shall the eagles also be gathered together. And imme- 
diately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall 
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and 
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of 



PENTECOST. 



Gospel: St. Matthew xxiv. 15-35. 




I 

240 TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

heaven shall be moved. And then shall appear the sign 
of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes 
of the earth mourn : and they shall see the Son of man 
coming- in the clouds of heaven with much power and 
majesty. And He shall send His angels with a trumpet, 
and a great voice: and they shall gather together His 
elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the 
heavens to the utmost bounds of them. And from the 
fig-tree learn a parable: when the branch thereof is now 
tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer 
Is nigh. So you also, when you shall see all these things, 
know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors. Amen, I say 
to you, that this generation shall not pass till all these 
things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but 
My words shall not pass." 

Q. What is the object of this discourse of Christ? 

A. Christ had two things in view. One was to ad- 
vise His followers among the Jews to escape the evils 
that were to come over Jerusalem, and the other was 
to warn Christians who will be living at the end of 
the world to be prepared for the great desolation that 
will" precede His second coming, when He will come 
to judge the living and the dead. For this reason 
does the Divine Master foretell the calamities that 
will befall the obstinate city of Jerusalem before her 
entire destruction ; and He predicts the dreadful 
events that will take place when the end of the world 
and the dreadful day of judgment are near at hand. 

Q. In regard to the Jews, what is the abomination 
mentioned in this Gospel? 

A. This abomination foretold by Daniel (chap, ix.) 
in regard to the Jews has reference to the strife, the 
murders, sacrileges, and all kinds of crimes committed 
by the different factions, more especially by that of 



TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 24 1 



the so-called "Zealots," not only in the streets and 
squares of the holy city, but also in the very temple. 
The crimes committed by them in the days preceding 
the fall of Jerusalem are so horrible that they may 
truly be called the abominations of desolation ; that 
is, abominations that are the forerunners of the ap- 
proaching desolation. 

Q. In regard to Christians, of what abomination 
did Christ speak? 

A. He spoke of that abomination which will be 
caused by all sorts of crimes, and which, like a mighty 
torrent, will overflow the earth in the days of Anti- 
christ, who will appear at the end of the world. 

Q. What counsel did Christ give the Jews who be- 
lieved in Him? 

A. He most earnestly advised them to flee as soon 
as possible in order not to be overtaken by the calami- 
ties that were to befall Jerusalem, as, in fact, the Chris- 
tians did who were in the city and environs at the 
first sight of the Roman army. 

Q. What did Christ, by the same words, mean to 
say to the Christians who will live at the end of the 
world ? 

A. He counsels them to flee from the general cor- 
ruption that will reign supreme with Anti-christ, even 
at the cost of what is most dear to them on this earth, 
preferring to lose all temporal things rather than 
lose their souls and forfeit the imperishable goods of 
heaven. 

Q. What do these words mean : " Woe to them 
that are with child, and that give suck in those days. 



242 TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



But pray that your flight be not in winter or on the 
Sabbath"? 

A. In reference to the Jews these words signify the 
extreme danger they would incur during the siege of 
the city, and as mothers and nurses are unable to 
travel far, and as it would be impossible to undertake 
a long journey in winter or on the Sabbath, which 
last was forbidden by the law, He spoke to them 
in this manner to make them understand how ne- 
cessary it was to leave hastily that city devoted to 
destruction. 

Q. What do those words mean in regard to us? 

A. He whose heart is controlled by passions 
which cause him to commit all kinds of sin, who 
cherishes carnal affections, and is attached to the 
things of this world, cannot walk as he ought in the 
way of salvation. On this account Christ said: Woe 
to those who will not be able to escape the torrent of 
iniquity that will overflow the earth, especially in the 
days of Anti-christ. In telling them to pray that 
their flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath He 
advised the sinners not to delay their conversion and 
necessary penance to old age, symbolized by winter; 
and much less should they defer them until their last 
sickness or last day of life, symbolized by the Sab- 
bath, for in such a case they would risk dying im- 
penitent for want of time or of strength, and thus be 
the victims of eternal desolation. 

Q. Who are the false prophets mentioned by Christ ? 

A. In regard to the Jews they were those who, dur- 
ing and after the affliction of Jerusalem, endeavored 
to deceive the people by pretending they were the 
expected Messias, foremost among whom was one 



TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 243 

Barcocheba. In regard to us the false prophets are 
the teachers of false doctrines, of heresies, and of bad 
morals, who always have endeavored to change the 
truths of the gospel, and who will exert their whole 
strength and power to that effect in the days of 
Anti -christ, at the end of the world. 

Q. What are we to learn from all this? 

A. Considering how all the predictions in regard to 
Jerusalem were most minutely fulfilled, we under- 
stand why Jesus Christ said that heaven and earth 
shall pass away, but that His words shall not pass 
away. Moreover, let us learn to fear the dreadful 
punishments of the anger of God, to do penance 
for our sins, to avoid the occasions of sin, and to 
prepare ourselves for the day of judgment, of which 
the Gospel speaks, and which was explained on the 
first Sunday of Advent. 



Printed by Benziger Brothers, New York. 



